Mission, South Dakota, 1940
Mission’s story
114 years in pictures
Census counts: 452 in 1940, 1,156 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
- 1912Mission is settled
MissionSD
A town of 1,101, settled in 1912.
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,101
2025 Census estimate · −4.5% since 2020
Median home value
$66K
Census ACS
Median age
24.9
years
Jobs based here
616
A job hub
Is Mission a good place to live?
Mission’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. 44% of residents live below the poverty line in Mission, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Mission's public schools trail 98% of South Dakota towns on state tests and graduation. On cost of living, just 2 of South Dakota’s 84 towns do better. Only 7 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on history. Mission has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Mission stand out
Where Mission beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here616
Residents who work233
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 97% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better5 too close to call19 worse
| Widest gap | Mission | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.8% | 12.7% |
Worth knowing · HealthD−
Less healthy than 99% of U.S. towns
Trails SD on 19 of 26 CDC measures, beats it on 2
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Small town
1,101 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Mission grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Mission is from typical.
HealthNear the bottom of U.S. towns on CDC estimates; PHS Indian Hospital at Rosebud 11.4 miles awayD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $66K, 1.6 years of the county’s $42K median household incomeA+Open →SchoolsD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 20.5% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mission: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mission, and how to reach them.
PowerLaCreek Electric AssnEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterMission Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mission’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 hereTodd County AuditorTodd County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code5755557555 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 Mission.
HealthD−
Compared with most of South Dakota and the rest of the country, more of Mission’s adults say their health is fair or poor
35% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Mission, against 16% in South Dakota’s towns and 19% across U.S. towns. 24% of adults report frequent mental distress in Mission. Of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Mission.
1%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Mission | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 16% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 10% | 12% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better5 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Mission | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 9.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.3% | 18.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.8% | 12.7% |
PHS Indian Hospital at Rosebud
11.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commute
With 2.6 jobs for every working resident, Mission draws in 553 commuters
About one in 4 of Mission’s working residents works in town. Mission’s average trip to work is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Mission has added 63 jobs, to 616 in 2023.
27%work in town
| Mission | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 29% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Mission27%
Two Strike18%
St. Francis11%
Soldier Creek9%
Rapid City3%
11 mi
median commute distance
616
jobs based in Mission
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Mission, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mission.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 1997
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Mission
Mission has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Mission is 87°F.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–36°
Spring33–58°
Summer58–84°
Fall36–62°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 374 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kimmel Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mission
17pages on Mission
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mission
About 6 of every 100 Mission residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
A job hub
Every workday, about 553 people come to Mission for work
Where Mission’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
616jobs based in Mission
27%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Mission
City in South Dakota, United States
Mission is a city on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in northern Todd County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,156 at the 2020 census. Mission is home of the Sinte Gleska University. It is the largest incorporated community in the county, but is smaller than the unincorporated community of Rosebud, the capital of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Mission is named for one of the many missions established by religious groups in the late 19th century to educate and assist the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) and other Native American people. The major economic center of the county, it is located at the junction of U.S. routes 18 and 83. The city contains part of the Oyate Trail, the headq…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1915
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,582 ft
- ZIP code
- 57555
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Mission
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mission, SD expensive?
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+.