Mitchell, South Dakota

Population

Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.

15,756

people, the 7th-largest of South Dakota's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among South Dakota's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

5 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

52.8%

of 11,314 jobs located in Mitchell are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 68% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$851

a month. South Dakota's median is $946.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $489.

A $489 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Davison County.

• $650 Tract 9628.01
• $1,139 Tract 9628.02

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,062–$1,593

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $851 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 571 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 50% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 80% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.4% to the 7,885 homes here.

28–113

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 25% less than South Dakota's.

$192,200

median home value in Mitchell.

• $192,200 Mitchell
• $257,400 South Dakota
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year