Best Places57785, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 57785, 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.
57785 ranks 14,607th 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 57785
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.
57785's strengths and weaknesses
Where 57785 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$581 a month, better than 86% of zip codes
- Short commute20.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of zip codes
Where 57785 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 57785
A household needs to earn about $84,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 57785 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $66,989, 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 57785's effective rate of 1.07%, 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 57785
57785 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 57785.
Who works in 57785, and how
Work in 57785 centers on hospitality & food and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 57785
57785 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 57785 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 57785, month by month
57785 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 27° | 18° |
| April | 55° | 42° | 33° |
| July | 85° | 72° | 60° |
| October | 59° | 47° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 57785
The nearest airport, Rapid City Regional, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 319 miles away.
The best schools in and around 57785
Schools across 57785 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Whitewood Elementary - 04A+ · 75% proficient
- Lead-deadwood Elementary - 03C− · 30% proficient
- Central Meade County School - 09D+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02B · 45% proficient
- Lead-deadwood Middle School - 02C− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Lead-deadwood High School - 01C− · 30% proficient
- Sturgis Brown High School - 01C− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 57785 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
57785 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 57785 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 57785
Is 57785 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 57785 ranks 14,607th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, state infrastructure, and a strong job market, and lowest on distance from a big city and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 57785 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $310,406. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $66,989 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 57785 safe?
Yes, 57785 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $297 per resident a year.
Compare 57785 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 57785. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 57785 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.
57785 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 57785: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 57785: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 57785: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 57785: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
57785 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.