North SpearfishSD
A town of 1,858.
Is North Spearfish a good place to live?
The best of North Spearfish’s subject grades are a B+ for health and schools; the weakest is a D for walkability. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in North Spearfish, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On cost of living, just 5 of South Dakota’s 84 towns do worse. Walsh Barn and Spearfish Rest Stop Tipi is on the National Register of Historic Places. North Spearfish has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
96% of working residents leave North Spearfish for work
Where North Spearfish’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How North Spearfish grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far North Spearfish is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to North Spearfish: who provides what
North Spearfish is unincorporated, so Lawrence County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 North Spearfish.
About half of North Spearfish’s working residents commute to Spearfish
Most working residents leave North Spearfish for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in North Spearfish grew to 456 in 2023, 275 more than in 2013. North Spearfish’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 17 minutes in South Dakota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| North Spearfish | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On CDC estimates, North Spearfish is healthier than 75% of U.S. towns
North Spearfish beats the South Dakota average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of North Spearfish adults sleep under 7 hours.
| North Spearfish | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | North Spearfish | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Older than South Dakota overall
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (18% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (36% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| North Spearfish | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
41% women, 59% men
About 142 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4 points). Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 91% are men (SD 52%).
| North Spearfish | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.1% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.4% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.1% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.1% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.9% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in North Spearfish
North Spearfish has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. North Spearfish’s July high is 87°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
North Spearfish faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in North Spearfish sells for about $425K at the median
Among 34 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a higher median rent than North Spearfish. 78% of households own their home in North Spearfish.
| North Spearfish | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,264 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Devils Tower National Monument and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Spearfish. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi National MonumentDevils Tower National Monument515K visitors a year13 mi Ski areaTerry Peak Ski Area28 runs · 1,075 ft vertical15 mi Ski areaDeer Mountain Village52 runs · 615 ft vertical13 mi MuseumAdams Museum & HousePhoto credits
Devils Tower National Monument: Ealdgyth, CC BY 3.0
Everything we know about North Spearfish
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of North Spearfish
About 2 of every 100 North Spearfish residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About North Spearfish
Census-designated place in South Dakota, United States
North Spearfish is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,366 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,652 ft
- Area code
- 605
North Spearfish’s neighbors
One town shares a border with North Spearfish.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Spearfish | — | — | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Spearfish | #22 | B− | C | C | B+ | A− |
North Spearfish has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. North Spearfish reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare North Spearfish with a neighbor →
Questions about North Spearfish
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is North Spearfish, SD expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $356,000, 12% above the South Dakota typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.