Shafer Round Barn · National Register of Historic Places
Split Rock Township’s story
Split Rock Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Split Rock TownshipSD
A town of 3,086. Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
6 bordering townsMap →
Shafer Round Barn · Photo: AlexiusHoratius · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,086
2025 Census estimate · −3.5% since 2020
Median home value
$500K
Census ACS
Household income
$148K
median
Median age
49.3
years
Jobs based here
449
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#6 of 35 in SD
Is Split Rock Township a good place to live?
Split Rock Township's standout: the median household earns $148K. Overall it grades A, 6th of 35 graded towns in South Dakota. Its public schools beat 92% of South Dakota towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 2 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on walkability. Shafer Round Barn is on the National Register of Historic Places. On hazard risk, just 4 of South Dakota’s 85 towns do better.
What makes Split Rock Township stand out
Where Split Rock Township beats most towns.
Brandon Valley School District 49-2
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls Adventist School | 1–7 | 7 |
| Brandon Valley Intermediate - 07 | 5–6 | 829 |
SchoolsA
#1 of the 35 South Dakota towns we grade for schools
NCES · EDFacts.
26 measures vs. South Dakota
12 better14 too close to call0 worse
| Widest gap | Split Rock Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 12.7% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 85% of U.S. towns
Beats SD on 12 of 26 CDC measures, trails it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Natural hazardsA−
Lower risk than 76% of U.S. communities
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Split Rock Township for work
Where Split Rock Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
449jobs based in Split Rock Township
1%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Split Rock Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Split Rock Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 10%), so the A overall blends very different results.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →SchoolsAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 0.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthAvera Mckennan Hospital & University Health Center 8.8 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 24% of U.S. communities; tornadoes tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $500K, 6 years of the Sioux Falls metro’s $83K median household incomeCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6 miles of trails; 4% conserved landBOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterCOpen →Civic life0.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Split Rock Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Split Rock Township, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMinnehaha Community Water CorpNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Split Rock Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereMinnehaha County AuditorMinnehaha County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP codes57110, 57005, 5706857110 67% · 57005 30% · 57068 3%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 Split Rock Township.
Split Rock Township has schools in the top 5% of South Dakota, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of South Dakota (mostly tornadoes) and has less tooth loss than most of South Dakota.
SchoolsA
Split Rock Township earns an A for schools
That grade ranks #1 of the 35 South Dakota towns we grade for schools.
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Brandon Valley School District 49-2. 829 students attend Split Rock Township’s public school.
92%of SD districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Valley Intermediate - 07Largest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 829 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
Split Rock Township earns an A− for health
Its widest gap with South Dakota is tooth loss: 7.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide. Against the 2,905 U.S. towns with household incomes like Split Rock Township’s, it is less healthy than 61%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Split Rock Township, 20% binge drink, against 19% in South Dakota’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. In Split Rock Township, 14% of adults say their health is fair or poor. One in ten adults in Split Rock Township report frequent physical distress; 29% sleep under 7 hours.
85%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Split Rock Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 19% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
12 better14 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Split Rock Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.5% |
Avera Mckennan Hospital & University Health Center
8.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
79th
percentile among SD towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
The median household income in Split Rock Township is higher than in most of South Dakota or the rest of the country
Split Rock Township has 449 jobs for its 1,846 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Among workers in Split Rock Township, 12% do their job from home. Since 2013, Split Rock Township has added 63 jobs, to 449 in 2023. The average commute for Split Rock Township comes to 19 minutes, above South Dakota’s towns (17 minutes) but below U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most people who work leave Split Rock Township to do it: just 1% work in town.
1%work in town
| Split Rock Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $148,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 0.6% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Split Rock Township1%
Sioux Falls72%
Brandon7%
Delapre Township1%
Harrisburg1%
6 mi
median commute distance
449
jobs based in Split Rock Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
In Split Rock Township, the FEMA risk score runs lower than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 100% of South Dakota towns, with expected losses of about $2,365 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA puts 42% of Split Rock Township’s expected hazard losses down to tornadoes, and 21% to cold waves.
24risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
TornadoesCold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Split Rock Township’s year
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 7° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–29°
Spring35–57°
Summer59–82°
Fall37–60°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB
Protected land: 3.8% of Split Rock Township
Big Sioux Recreation Area, at 427 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 5.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: in Split Rock Township, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
3.8%conserved
| Split Rock Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.3% |
3.8%
conserved · 689 of 18,258 acres
5.6 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Sioux Recreation Area | 3 mi | 427 |
| 2. Beaver Creek Nature Area | 1.4 mi | 150 |
| 3. Great Bear Recreation Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 12 attractions →Pipestone National Monument and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Split Rock Township. Close and well known come first.
34 mi National MonumentPipestone National Monument77K visitors a year
9 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Plains Zoo
7 mi MuseumWashington Pavilion of Arts and Science
8 mi MuseumPettigrew Home & Museum31 mi MuseumPorter Sculpture Park
20 mi MuseumHinkly House MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Pipestone National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Great Plains Zoo: Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science: Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pettigrew Home & Museum: Jerry from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hinkly House Museum: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Split Rock Township
18pages on Split Rock Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Split Rock Township
Kairos UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Sioux Falls7.9 mi$3,600 tuitionUniversity of Sioux FallsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Sioux Falls7.9 mi$21,750 tuitionSoutheast Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sioux Falls10 mi$7,650 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Split Rock Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Split Rock Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Split Rock Township.
Sioux FallsBrandonAndersonBrandon TownshipPine Lakes AdditionValley Springs TownshipSplit Rock Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split Rock Township | #6 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Sioux Falls | #27 | C+ | B− | D | C+ | B+ |
| Brandon · Brandon Township | #1 | A+ | B | — | A | A |
| Anderson | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Lakes Addition | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valley Springs Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Split Rock Township and Brandon report no FBI crime data of their own. Anderson, Pine Lakes Addition and Valley Springs Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Brandon Township and Brandon are one community, graded once. Compare Split Rock Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Split Rock Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Split Rock Township, SD a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Split Rock Township grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #6 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Split Rock Township, SD expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.