Best Places57481, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 57481, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
57481 ranks 11,848th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 57481
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.
57481's strengths and weaknesses
Where 57481 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 135 pleasant days a year, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 57481 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 57481
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 57481 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,353, 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 57481's effective rate of 0.83%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 57481
57481 runs older than the country, 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 57481.
Who works in 57481, and how
Work in 57481 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 57481
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 57481.
What the weather is like in 57481, month by month
57481 sees roughly 135 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 28, with lows near 5. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 15° | 5° |
| April | 58° | 43° | 29° |
| July | 88° | 73° | 59° |
| October | 63° | 47° | 34° |
Flying in and out of 57481
The nearest airport, Aberdeen Regional, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 269 miles away.
The best schools in and around 57481
Schools across 57481 average a C+, better than 53% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Leola Elementary - 02A+ · 75% proficient
- Ipswich Elementary - 02A− · 60% proficient
- Browns Valley ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Frederick Jr. High - 03A+ · 75% proficient
- Ipswich Middle School - 04B− · 40% proficient
- Browns Valley MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Ipswich High School - 01C+ · 40% proficient
- Frederick High School - 01D+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 57481 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
57481 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 57481 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 57481
Is 57481 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 57481 ranks 11,848th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, low taxes, and state infrastructure, 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 57481 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,521. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $85,353 median income, cost of living beats 84% of zip codes.
Is 57481 safe?
57481 is safer than 30% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $463 per resident a year.
Compare 57481 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 57481. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 57481 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.
57481 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 57481: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 57481: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 57481: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 57481: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
57481 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.