Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Philip’s average commute is 5 minutes, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher typical July afternoon high than Philip. Philip has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Waddell Block and Haakon County Courthouse. Philip has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Philip beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 578 in 1910, a peak of 1,114 in 1960, 759 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Philip, 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 Philip.
Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles. Jobs based in Philip grew to 560 in 2023, 73 more than in 2013. 48% of the town’s working residents work right in town. Among residents locally, 16% live below the poverty line.
| Philip | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 48% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Haakon School District 27-1. 3 public schools serve Philip, with 311 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 131 | C |
| Philip High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 109 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected losses in Philip break down as 56% from inland flooding and 29% from cold waves. Federal aid has come to Philip households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 11° on a January night to 89° on a July afternoon, with about 38 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Philip. In Philip, 27% of adults get no exercise outside work. This South Dakota town does better than the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 5.
| Philip | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Philip | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 75.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Philip; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Philip residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Philip’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in South Dakota, United States
Philip is a city in and the county seat of rural Haakon County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 759 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Philip has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
