Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical South Dakota town. Population 1,158: a town settled in 1907.
Lemmon’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living, an A− for walkability, and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Lemmon’s mean commuting time is 9 minutes, below both the South Dakota town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 5 of South Dakota’s 84 towns score lower on incomes. On civic life, just 7 of South Dakota’s 73 towns do better. Lemmon has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them G. E. Lemmon House and Lemmon Petrified Park. Lemmon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lemmon beats most towns.
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 Lemmon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,255 in 1910, a peak of 2,760 in 1950, 1,160 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and a map from 1984 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lemmon, 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 Lemmon.
Zillow values the typical Lemmon home at about $116,000, down 0.7% in a year, 64% below the South Dakota typical home. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 73%.
| Lemmon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $672 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Lemmon School District 52-4. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. 3 public schools serve Lemmon, with 289 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemmon Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 139 | B |
| Lemmon High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 97 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Here, nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 32% in South Dakota as a whole. The age of the median resident for Lemmon comes to 45.9 years.
| Lemmon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 31% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.9 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 33% | 29% |
59% women, 41% men
About 70 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.9 points). Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Lemmon | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.9% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 17.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.5% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.3% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
A winter brings about 42 inches of snow, with January nights at 7° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
One in 3 of Lemmon’s working residents works locally. The share of residents in Lemmon who live below the poverty line: 22%. Half of commuters travel less than 32 miles. The town’s middle household income is $50,000.
| Lemmon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 38% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the losses FEMA expects in Lemmon, 41% come from cold waves and 29% from inland flooding. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lemmon. CDC measures, 26 in all: Lemmon beats South Dakota on 2 and trails on 9. Two figures for adults in the town: 28% sleep under 7 hours, 39% have high blood pressure. Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Lemmon.
| Lemmon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lemmon | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.8% | 75.9% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.8% | 84.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.6% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lemmon Petrified Wood Park | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 2. North Lemmon Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Lemmon City Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Lemmon; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Lemmon residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
City in South Dakota, United States
Lemmon is a town in Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2020 census. Lemmon is named after George Ed Lemmon, a cattleman, who founded the town in 1906. The City of Lemmon received the South Dakota Community of the Year Award in 2012.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical South Dakota town.
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.
2 notable people were born here, including Gale Cleven and G. A. Swanson.