Timber Lake, South Dakota, 1942
Timber Lake’s story
116 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1942.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1910Timber Lake is settled
Timber LakeSD
A town of 548, settled in 1910.
Population
548
2025 Census estimate · +6.6% since 2020
Median home value
$81K
Census ACS
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
23.8
years
Jobs based here
449
A job hub
Is Timber Lake a good place to live?
Drees Brothers General Mechandise is on the National Register of Historic Places. Timber Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Timber Lake stand out
Where Timber Lake beats most towns.
Small town
548 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Timber Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Timber Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerMoreau-Grand Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterTimber Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Timber Lake’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 hereDewey County AuditorDewey County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code5765657656 100%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 Timber Lake.
Work & commute
In Timber Lake, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
16% of Timber Lake residents live below the poverty line. In Timber Lake, just over a fifth of working residents work locally, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 8%. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Timber Lake dropped by 88, to 449. The income of the median household for Timber Lake comes to $61,000.
22%work in town
| Timber Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Timber Lake22%
North Eagle Butte24%
Eagle Butte13%
Isabel6%
Mobridge2%
30 mi
median commute distance
449
jobs based in Timber Lake
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Timber Lake’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Timber Lake School District 20-3. The 3 public schools in Timber Lake teach 372 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timber Lake Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 185 | A |
| Timber Lake High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 117 | B+ |
| Timber Lake Middle School - 03Top results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 70 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Who lives here
Compared with most of South Dakota and the rest of the country, more of Timber Lake’s residents are under 18
Only one of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare has a lower age of the median resident than Timber Lake. In Timber Lake, 6.8% of residents are 65 or older, below both South Dakota’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). 548 people lived in Timber Lake by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 6.6% more than in 2020. The share of adults 25 and older in Timber Lake who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 23%.
23.8median age · SD 38
| Timber Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 43% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 23.8 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 6.8% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 33% | 29% |
Timber LakeSouth DakotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
25%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school33%
Some college23%
Associate’s16%
Bachelor’s10%
Graduate13%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Timber Lake | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 24.5% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 18.1% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.1% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.4% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.2% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.7% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.4% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Timber Lake: snowy winters and pleasant summers
The range runs from 6° on a January night to 85° on a July afternoon, with about 41 inches of snow a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter9–28°
Spring31–56°
Summer56–82°
Fall34–58°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Timber Lake is
73% of adults had a checkup this year in Timber Lake. Of 26 CDC measures, Timber Lake beats the South Dakota average on 1 and trails it on 17. No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher share of adults who have obesity than Timber Lake. Two figures for adults in the town: 16% have diabetes, 27% say their health is fair or poor.
| Timber Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 10% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 25% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
1 better8 too close to call17 worse
| What stands out | Timber Lake | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 9.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.4% | 12.7% |
Eagle Butte Indian Health Service Hospital
31.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Timber Lake, mostly cold waves
Compared with 55% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Timber Lake is higher. One declared disaster, in 2019, has brought federal aid to Timber Lake households. Expected losses in Timber Lake break down as 84% from cold waves and 9% from inland flooding.
55risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Timber Lake
17pages on Timber Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Timber Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Timber Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
A job hub
Every workday, about 413 people come to Timber Lake for work
Where Timber Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
449jobs based in Timber Lake
22%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Timber Lake
City in South Dakota, United States
Timber Lake (Lakota: Blečháŋ; "Tree Lake") is a city in and the county seat of Dewey County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1911
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,169 ft
- ZIP code
- 57656
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Timber Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Timber Lake, SD a good place to live?
Timber Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Timber Lake, SD known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Tucker Kraft and Elizabeth Sudmeier.