Tornado1884, 1884
Howard’s story
145 years in pictures
Census counts: 588 in 1900, a peak of 1,325 in 1920, 848 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
- 1881Howard is settled
HowardSD
A town of 838, settled in 1881.
Population
838
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Median home value
$101K
Census ACS
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
49.4
years
Jobs based here
567
A job hub
Is Howard a good place to live?
Howard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Howard stand out
Where Howard beats most towns.
Small town
838 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Howard: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Howard, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of HowardEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterHoward water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Howard’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personSouth Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMiner County AuditorMiner County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code5734957349 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Howard.
Work & commute
A job hub: Howard has 1.7 jobs for every working resident and draws in 456 commuters
Half commute less than 21 miles. Jobs based in Howard grew to 567 in 2023, 264 more than in 2013. In Howard, about one in three working residents works in town. A fifth of Howard residents live below the poverty line, against 9.5% in South Dakota’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
34%work in town
| Howard | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Howard34%
Sioux Falls15%
Madison8%
Mitchell4%
Howard Township3%
21 mi
median commute distance
567
jobs based in Howard
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Howard’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Howard School District 48-3. The 3 public schools in Howard teach 329 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 158 | B− |
| Howard High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 96 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Top of a low hazard risk in Howard: inland flooding
The FEMA risk score in Howard is 29 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2022. FEMA puts a quarter of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 23% to drought.
29risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Howard has four seasons and pleasant summers
Howard’s midsummer high stands at 84°F, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 85°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter9–28°
Spring34–56°
Summer59–81°
Fall36–59°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Howard is
Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Howard. This South Dakota town does better than the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 6. The share of adults in Howard who have been diagnosed with depression: 20%.
| Howard | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better18 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Howard | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 75.9% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.2% | 84.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 6.8% |
Madison Regional Health System
20.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Howard
18pages on Howard
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Howard; the nearest are
Dakota State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Madison20.4 mi$9,654 in-state tuitionMitchell Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mitchell32.6 mi$7,524 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Howard residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
A job hub
Every workday, about 456 people come to Howard for work
Where Howard’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
567jobs based in Howard
34%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Howard
City in South Dakota, United States
Howard is a city in Miner County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 848 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and most populous city in Miner County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,575 ft
- ZIP code
- 57349
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Howard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Howard, SD a good place to live?
Howard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Howard, SD known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Dave Diamond and Vern L. Schramm.