OglalaSD
A town of 1,071, settled in 1912.
Is Oglala a good place to live?
Oglala’s weakest subject grade is a D− for schools. 69% of residents live below the poverty line in Oglala, above both the South Dakota town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town in South Dakota scores lower than Oglala on incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Only 5 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on history. Oglala has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,071 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Oglala grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Oglala is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Oglala: who provides what
Oglala is unincorporated, so Oglala Lakota 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 Oglala.
A larger share of adults in Oglala have diabetes than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
Oglala: 70% of adults had a checkup this year, against 76% in South Dakota’s towns and 79% across U.S. towns. Of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have obesity than Oglala. For adults here, the share who have high blood pressure is 40%.
| Oglala | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 16% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Oglala | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 9.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.8% | 18.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 53.8% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Oglala’s public schools rank near the bottom of South Dakota
Its one school is below. Enrollment at Oglala’s public school: 230 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isna Wica OwayawaLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 230 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Oglala stands out in South Dakota and nationally, with the FEMA risk score higher than most
39% of Oglala’s expected losses from natural hazards come from wildfires, followed by inland flooding at 15%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most of Oglala’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.5 jobs for each of them
The median commute is under 21 miles. No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a lower median household income than Oglala. For Oglala, the typical journey to work is 14 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 69, to 74.
| Oglala | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $21,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Oglala has four seasons and hot summers
July afternoons reach 89° and January nights drop to 14°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0% of Oglala is conserved land
2.3 miles of trail. Oglala’s density of trails stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Oglala
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Oglala; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Oglala residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
100% of working residents leave Oglala for work
Where Oglala’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Oglala
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Are Oglala schools good?
The public schools Oglala children attend trail 100% of South Dakota districts on state tests and graduation, a D− School Grade.