Porter Sculpture Park, 2009
Montrose’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 563 in 1890, 468 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
- 1880Montrose is settled
MontroseSD
Trash day: ThursdayPopulation
476
2025 Census estimate · +2.1% since 2020
Typical home
$380K
+6.2% in a year
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
35.6
years
Jobs based here
105
A commuter town
Is Montrose a good place to live?
Among 34 South Dakota towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Montrose. Montrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Montrose stand out
Where Montrose beats most towns.
Small town
476 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Montrose: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montrose, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKingbrook III Rural Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereMcCook County AuditorMcCook County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code5704857048 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 Montrose.
Work & commute
Most of Montrose’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Montrose for work: only 5% work in town. At 24 minutes, Montrose’s average trip to work is above the South Dakota town median (17 minutes) and near the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Sioux Falls (37%), Salem (14%) and Brookings (5%).
5%work in town
| Montrose | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Montrose5%
Sioux Falls37%
Salem14%
Brookings5%
Mitchell4%
25 mi
median commute distance
105
jobs based in Montrose
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Montrose’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Montrose School District 43-2. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montrose Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 108 | B+ |
| Montrose High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 63 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Montrose
Montrose has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 7° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–29°
Spring34–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall36–59°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Housing
Montrose’s typical home value is about $380K
The typical Montrose home is worth about $380,000, up 6.2% in a year, 20% above the South Dakota typical home.
$380KZillow home value
Typical home value
Montrose$380K
South Dakota$318K
+6.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Who lives here
Younger than South Dakota overall
People 65 and older are 13% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). At 35.6 years, Montrose’s median age is below both South Dakota’s towns (39.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Montrose has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 476 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
35.6median age · SD 38
| Montrose | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.6 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 33% | 29% |
MontroseSouth DakotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school48%
Some college12%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s17%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 42% and 62% women
The Census survey reached too few of Montrose’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.2 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Montrose | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 48.3% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.3% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Health
How healthy Montrose is
Montrose beats the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Montrose adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Montrose | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better23 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Montrose | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 72.9% | 69.2% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.2% | 84.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 9.2% |
Madison Regional Health System
20.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Montrose faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montrose.
52risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
19
paid flood claims since 1997
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Montrose
17pages on Montrose
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Montrose; the nearest are
Dakota State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Madison21.9 mi$9,654 in-state tuitionSoutheast Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sioux Falls22.1 mi$7,650 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Montrose residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Montrose for work
Where Montrose’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
105jobs based in Montrose
5%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Montrose
City in South Dakota, United States
Montrose is a city in McCook County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 468 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,470 ft
- ZIP code
- 57048
Questions about Montrose
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Montrose, SD a good place to live?
Montrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.