Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
38% more nonprofits per person than the typical South Dakota town.
Lead gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $375K for a typical one, or 5.1 years of the Spearfish area’s $73K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 13th of 35 graded towns in South Dakota. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 76% of South Dakota towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. Lead’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in South Dakota’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. No town in South Dakota scores higher than Lead on history. Lead's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Lead beats most towns.
Old Finnish Lutheran ChurchEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Lead is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,487 in 1880, a peak of 8,392 in 1910, 2,982 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lead, 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 Lead.
Lead has more trail for its size than nearly any town in South Dakota, fares better on crime within South Dakota than nationally and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 1.9 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 26 South Dakota towns.
That puts Lead where South Dakota’s towns sit at 3.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 3.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Manuel Brothers Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-Deadwood Middle School - 02Largest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 139 | C |
| Lead-Deadwood High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 211 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 650 in 2013 to 906.
Most working residents leave Lead for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in Lead grew to 906 in 2023, 256 more than in 2013. Lead’s average trip to work is 20 minutes.
| Lead | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 91% of South Dakota’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Among 25 South Dakota towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Lead. The property crime rate in Lead is 6.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Lead | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Lead weather station records that 184 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 13.6°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 98% of South Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 80.7°.
No town among the 35 in South Dakota we compare has a lower July high than Lead. Lead has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
| Lead | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 81°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| January low | 14°F | 9°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Lead home is worth about $375,000, down 1.4% in a year, 18% above the South Dakota typical home.
| Lead | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $835 a month | $963 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 68% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within South Dakota it is less healthy than 82% of the 35 graded towns: South Dakota sets a high bar.
Lead beats the South Dakota average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Lead.
| Lead | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lead | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 28.9% | 25.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lead. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
35 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak3 mi Ski areaTerry Peak Ski Area28 runs · 1,075 ft vertical4 mi Ski areaDeer Mountain Village52 runs · 615 ft vertical
31 mi Scenic railwayBlack Hills Central RailroadMount Rushmore National Memorial: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Crazy Horse Memorial: Jeffreylcooke, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Black Elk Peak: BHrock at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Black Hills Central Railroad: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lead
About 2 of every 100 Lead residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
2 places in Lead on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Lead.
City in South Dakota, United States
Lead ( LEED) is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,982 at the 2020 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lead.
Deadwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Lead with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lead grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #13 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
6 notable people were born here, including John Miljan and James B. Dunn.
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