Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mitchell gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $252K, 3.6 years of the Mitchell area’s $69K median household income. It grades B overall, 19th of 35 graded towns in South Dakota. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. 60% of working residents work locally in Mitchell, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Dakota Wesleyan University and Koch Apartments.
Where Mitchell beats most towns.
Holy Family Church, School, and Rectory| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| L. B. Williams Elementary - 03 | K–5 | 438 |
| Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary - 04 | K–5 | 379 |
| Longfellow Elementary - 05 | K–5 | 290 |
Census counts: 320 in 1880, 15,660 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1899 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Mitchell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mitchell, 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 Mitchell.
Mitchell is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Dakota.
Its public schools are run by the Mitchell School District 17-2. Below: Three of its 9 schools, each with why it was picked. 5 public schools serve Mitchell, with 1,698 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Middle School - 02Largest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 578 | B+ |
| Mitchell High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 879 | A |
| L. B. Williams Elementary - 03Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 438 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 390 to 298 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate for Mitchell comes to 2.7 per 1,000 residents. The level of property crime for Mitchell comes to 16.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Mitchell weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 167 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 80% of South Dakota places with climate records.
A winter brings about 41 inches of snow, with January nights at 8° and July afternoons at 86°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Mitchell, the rent at the middle of the market is $851 a month. A typical home in the town is worth about $252,000, up 1% in a year, 21% below the South Dakota typical home. The share of households in Mitchell who are owner-occupiers: 57%.
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $851 a month | $963 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Employers in Mitchell added 539 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 10,340. The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 13 minutes. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (11%), Brookings (2%) and Yankton (1%).
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 6.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 24%, against 32% across South Dakota. People 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide).
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 34% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.6, men 37.4.
| Mitchell | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.5% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.6% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.6% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.1% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 8,539 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mitchell’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within South Dakota it is less healthy than 88% of the 35 graded towns: South Dakota sets a high bar.
Among adults in Mitchell, 16% smoke cigarettes. 30% of adults in Mitchell sleep under 7 hours; 38% have obesity.
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mitchell | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 65.3% | 69.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mitchell has had 16 paid flood insurance claims since 1984. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in 54% of U.S. communities. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 31% come from tornadoes and 29% from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Cadwell Park, at 73 acres. There are 2.7 miles of trail across 16 parks and preserves. Mitchell’s trail network density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Mitchell | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cadwell Park | 0.9 mi | 73 |
| 2. Pepsi Cola Soccer Complex | — | 35 |
| 3. Hitchcock Park | — | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Mitchell
About 3 of every 100 Mitchell residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
2 colleges in town.
20 places in Mitchell on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in South Dakota, United States
Mitchell (Lakota: Čhaŋkȟá-Ok'é) is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the seventh most populous city in South Dakota. Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Davison and Hanson counties. The city is home to Dakota Wesleyan University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Mitchell.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell | #19 | B | B | C | B+ | B |
| Perry Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Badger Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Perry Township and Badger Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mitchell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Mitchell grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #19 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades B for health, C for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
