Best Places57049, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 57049, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
57049 ranks 1,093rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 57049
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
57049's strengths and weaknesses
Where 57049 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute13.1 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 57049 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 43% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 57049
A household needs to earn about $124,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 57049 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $109,703, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 57049's effective rate of 1.10%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 57049
57049's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 57049.
Who works in 57049, and how
Work in 57049 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 57049
57049 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 57049 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 57049, month by month
57049 sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 22° | 12° |
| April | 65° | 49° | 35° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 51° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 57049
The nearest airport, Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day Field, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 89 miles away.
The best schools in and around 57049
Schools across 57049 average a B+, better than 70% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04B− · 40% proficient
- Elk Point-jefferson Elementary - 02C− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dakota Valley Middle School - 03B+ · 50% proficient
- Elk Point-jefferson Middle School - 03B+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Dakota Valley High School - 01B · 50% proficient
- Elk Point-jefferson High School - 01B · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 57049 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
57049 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 57049 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 57049
Is 57049 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 57049 ranks 1,093rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, short commutes, and low taxes, and lowest on tree cover and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 57049 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $455,623. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $109,703 median income, cost of living beats 94% of zip codes.
Is 57049 safe?
Yes, 57049 is safer than 96% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $187 per resident a year.
Compare 57049 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 57049. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 57049 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
57049 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 57049: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 57049: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 57049: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 57049: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
57049 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.