Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,207, founded in 1859.
Jefferson Township’s best subject grades are an A for incomes and an A− for health; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Jefferson Township’s median household income is $196,000, above both South Dakota’s towns ($72,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Only 6 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on hazard risk. Jefferson Township's schools rank ahead of 74% of South Dakota towns. The biggest park or preserve is Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, at 48 acres. Jefferson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Jefferson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 90 in 1880, 475 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jefferson Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Jefferson Township.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jefferson Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jefferson Township tracks South Dakota closely on all 26 CDC measures. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Jefferson Township, below both the South Dakota town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (17%). 32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Jefferson Township.
| Jefferson Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 76% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.9% of Jefferson Township working residents work locally. The top destinations are North Sioux City (21%), Sioux City (20%) and Sioux Falls (10%). 2% of Jefferson Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Jefferson Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Jefferson Township has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 10° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Jefferson Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Jefferson Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve | 0.3 mi | 48 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4 within 15 miles of the center of Jefferson Township
About 0 of every 100 Jefferson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Jefferson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in South Dakota, United States
Jefferson is a city in Union County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 475 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson was founded in 1859. Every year the citizens of Jefferson and surrounding area celebrate the founding of Jefferson during "Jefferson Days", a festival that includes a movie in the park, a car show, fireworks and parade. The city has the name of President Thomas Jefferson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.