Best PlacesHamlin County, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Hamlin County, 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.
Hamlin County ranks 511th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Hamlin County
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.
Hamlin County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Hamlin County ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of counties
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than 88% of counties
Where Hamlin County ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than only 11% of counties
- BikingBetter than only 22% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than only 23% of counties
- Internet speedBetter than only 29% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Hamlin County
A household needs to earn about $56,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Hamlin County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,897, 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 Hamlin County's effective rate of 1.01%, 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 Hamlin County
Hamlin County runs younger than the country, 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 Hamlin County.
Who works in Hamlin County, and how
Work in Hamlin County centers on manufacturing and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in Hamlin County
Hamlin County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Hamlin County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Hamlin County growing, and who is moving in?
Hamlin County has grown about 11% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Codington County, SD.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Hamlin County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Hamlin County, month by month
Hamlin County sees roughly 126 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 Hamlin County
The nearest airport, Watertown Regional, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 193 miles away.
The best schools in and around Hamlin County
Schools across Hamlin County average a C+, better than 51% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Henry Elementary - 02A+ · 75% proficient
- Castlewood Elementary - 02A− · 60% proficient
- Clear Lake Elementary - 02A− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Watertown Middle School - 02B+ · 48% proficient
- Estelline Middle School - 03B− · 40% proficient
- Hamlin Middle School - 02C− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Henry High School - 01A · 75% proficient
- Watertown High School - 01B · 50% proficient
- Castlewood High School - 01C+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Hamlin County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Hamlin County 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 Hamlin County against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Hamlin County
Is Hamlin County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Hamlin County ranks 511th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on a strong job market, low taxes, and heat safety, 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 Hamlin County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,826. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $84,897 median income, cost of living beats 80% of counties.
Is Hamlin County safe?
Yes, Hamlin County is safer than 92% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $263 per resident a year.
Compare Hamlin County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Hamlin County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Hamlin County 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.
Hamlin County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Hamlin County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Hamlin County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Hamlin County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Hamlin County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Hamlin County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.