Best Places57235, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 57235, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
57235 ranks 8,719th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 57235
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.
57235's strengths and weaknesses
Where 57235 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 124 pleasant days a year, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 57235 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 33% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 57235
A household needs to earn about $72,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 57235 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $86,701, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 57235's effective rate of 0.86%, 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 57235
57235's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 57235.
Who works in 57235, and how
Work in 57235 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 57235
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 57235.
What the weather is like in 57235, month by month
57235 sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 6. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 14° | 6° |
| April | 54° | 42° | 32° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 61° |
| October | 58° | 46° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 57235
The nearest airport, Watertown Regional, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 200 miles away.
The best schools in and around 57235
Schools across 57235 average a C, better than 39% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Henry Elementary - 02A+ · 75% proficient
- Lismore Colony ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
- Florence Elementary - 02F · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Watertown Middle School - 02B+ · 48% proficient
- Florence Middle School - 03B− · 40% proficient
- Waubay Middle School - 03D+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Henry High School - 01A · 75% proficient
- Waubay High School - 01A · 75% proficient
- Watertown High School - 01B · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 57235 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
57235 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 57235 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 57235
Is 57235 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 57235 ranks 8,719th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, state infrastructure, and a stable housing market, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 57235 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $271,494. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $86,701 median income, cost of living beats 72% of zip codes.
Is 57235 safe?
Yes, 57235 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $293 per resident a year.
Compare 57235 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 57235. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 57235 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.
57235 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 57235: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 57235: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 57235: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 57235: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
57235 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.