Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,313, settled in 1881.
Miller’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a C− for incomes. Miller’s average trip to work is 11 minutes, below both South Dakota’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On cost of living, just 6 of South Dakota’s 84 towns do better. Miller has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Miller Ree Creek Bridge and Hand County Courthouse and Jail. Miller has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Miller 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 Miller is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 536 in 1890, a peak of 2,148 in 1970, 1,349 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Miller, 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 Miller.
Miller’s median rent is $564 a month, where South Dakota’s towns sit at $962 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Typical home values rose 8% in the year to September 2026.
| Miller | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $564 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Miller School District 29-4. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 231 | A |
| Miller High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 141 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (18% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (36% statewide). Miller has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 1,313 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Miller | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.9 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 33% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Miller | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.2% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.4% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.5% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Miller beats the South Dakota average on 8 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Miller. Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Miller.
| Miller | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Miller | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 12.7% |
| Fewer smokers | 12.7% | 15.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Miller has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 6° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Miller’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Miller fell to 674 in 2023, 102 fewer than in 2013. The median household income in Miller is $58,000.
| Miller | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Miller’s property crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents. Of the 26 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Miller. Miller's reported crime rate is well below South Dakota's.
| Miller | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 3 of the 33 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower trail density than Miller.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crystal Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Miller; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Miller residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
5 notable people were born in Miller.
City in South Dakota, United States
Miller is a city in and the county seat of Hand County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,349 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.
5 notable people were born here, including Vera C. Bushfield and Scott Heidepriem.
