Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 981, settled in 1877.
Only 1 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Whitewood. Whitewood Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Whitewood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 443 in 1890, a low of 267 in 1940, 879 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1899 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whitewood, 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 Whitewood.
For Whitewood, that is where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Most working residents leave Whitewood for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Whitewood grew to 131 in 2023, 55 more than in 2013.
| Whitewood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Meade School District 46-1. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewood Elementary - 04Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 138 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical Whitewood home is worth about $409,000, about the same as a year ago, 29% above the South Dakota typical home. 83% of households own their home in Whitewood, above both South Dakota’s towns (68%) and U.S. towns (73%).
| Whitewood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $946 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Whitewood has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (36% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 14% of residents are 65 or older in Whitewood. Whitewood has grown 9.9% since 2020, to 981 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Whitewood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 33% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Whitewood | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.7% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.9% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.9% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
6 crimes were reported in Whitewood in 2025: 4 property and 2 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Whitewood is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Whitewood beats the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of Whitewood adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Whitewood.
| Whitewood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| What stands out | Whitewood | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 73.3% | 69.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitewood. Close and well known come first.
33 mi MuseumDinosaur Park
37 mi Scenic railwayBlack Hills Central Railroad
33 mi Stadium & arenaRushmore Plaza Civic Center14 mi Ski areaDeer Mountain Village52 runs · 615 ft vertical8 mi MuseumAdams Museum & HouseDinosaur Park: Minnesota Jones at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Black Hills Central Railroad: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0 · Rushmore Plaza Civic Center: Mr. Satterly, WTFPL
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whitewood
About 3 of every 100 Whitewood residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Whitewood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in South Dakota, United States
Whitewood is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 879 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.
Whitewood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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