More than half of Summerset’s working residents commute to Rapid City
The two grades for Summerset are A− for jobs and income and C for walkability. Measured by household income, Summerset is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Only 3% work in Summerset; the top destination outside it is Rapid City (62%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Summerset: the figures worth knowing
More than half of Summerset works in Rapid City
869 working residents, 62%, have their main job in Rapid City, 10 miles away. That’s 21 times as many as work in Summerset itself. The commute map ↓
Few Summerset workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 10% across South Dakota. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Summerset’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Summerset is better than 77% of U.S. towns, #9 of 35 in South Dakota. Household income holds Summerset’s grade up ($119,271, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 45% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Summerset could be anywhere from B− to A.
The towns that employ Summerset’s residents
Where Summerset clocks in
62% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The trip to work from Summerset: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Summerset workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,598 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across South Dakota: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
A workday in Summerset: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 1,367 residents head out to work, 41 work right here, and 480 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,100 people are in Summerset on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.37 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in Summerset: what the 521 are
521 jobs are based in Summerset.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Summerset, 2013 → 2023: 269 → 521. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Summerset’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Summerset
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Getting around Summerset: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Summerset is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns, #32 of 35 in South Dakota. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 4.3% across South Dakota, on an EPA index of 5.6.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,670 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 0.3% of Summerset households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Summerset’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Summerset is 953rd of 4,771 U.S. towns of 2,100 to 4,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Split Rock Township SD | 3,086 | $148K | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Springdale Township SD | 2,229 | $151K | 1.3% | 0.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 413 | Dakota Dunes SD | 3,936 | $136K | 2.4% | 3.4% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 951 | Hamburg NJ | 3,345 | $87K | 3.4% | 4.0% | 4% | A− |
| 952 | Mayfield OH | 3,296 | $126K | 4.2% | 8.8% | 7% | A− |
| 953 | Summerset SD | 3,030 | $119K | 8.6% | 2.2% | 3% | A− |
| 954 | Hatfield MA | 3,286 | $89K | 8.9% | 1.6% | 12% | A− |
| 955 | Middleton Township OH | 3,244 | $87K | 6.4% | 2.0% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,771 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Summerset, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
How Summerset compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Summerset workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summerset | – | A− | C | 20 min | $119,271 |
| Blackhawk | 3% | B− | D | 24 min | $71,993 |
| Piedmont | under 1% | C+ | B+ | 16 min | $53,866 |
| Wonderland Homes | under 1% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wonderland Homes: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Blackhawk. Darker towns draw more of Summerset’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Summerset: questions
What is the median household income in Summerset?
$119,271 (±$14,395) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Summerset?
8.6%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Summerset?
20 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Summerset work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rapid City (62%, 10 mi), Sturgis (4%, 17 mi), Blackhawk (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Summerset walkable?
Summerset is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Summerset without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Summerset, from the people who make the trip.
More of Summerset
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.