Best PlacesMcCook County, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in McCook County, 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.
McCook County ranks 506th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in McCook 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.
McCook County's strengths and weaknesses
Where McCook County ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 97% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 93% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than 88% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of counties
Where McCook County ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than only 18% of counties
- BikingBetter than only 24% of counties
- Internet speedBetter than only 29% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 30% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in McCook County
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median McCook County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,169, 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 McCook County's effective rate of 0.92%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in McCook County
McCook County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for McCook County.
Who works in McCook County, and how
Work in McCook County centers on health care & social and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in McCook County
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across McCook County.
Is McCook County growing, and who is moving in?
McCook County has grown about 4% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the Sioux Falls, SD metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving McCook County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in McCook County, month by month
McCook County sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 16° | 9° |
| April | 55° | 43° | 34° |
| July | 82° | 71° | 62° |
| October | 58° | 47° | 38° |
Flying in and out of McCook County
The nearest airport, Joe Foss Field, is about 31 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 179 miles away.
The best schools in and around McCook County
Schools across McCook County average a B−, better than 68% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Shannon Colony Elementary - 08A+ · 75% proficient
- Madison Elementary - 07B+ · 55% proficient
- Parker Elementary - 02B · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Freeman Jr High - 05B− · 40% proficient
- Canistota Middle School - 03B− · 40% proficient
- Bridgewater-emery Middle School - 04B− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Montrose High School - 01A+ · 90% proficient
- Canistota High School - 01A · 75% proficient
- Bridgewater-emery High School - 01A− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every McCook County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
McCook 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 McCook County against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in McCook County
Is McCook County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, McCook County ranks 506th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low taxes, a strong job market, and clean air, 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 McCook County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $265,190. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $84,169 median income, cost of living beats 88% of counties.
Is McCook County safe?
Yes, McCook County is safer than 84% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $325 per resident a year.
Compare McCook County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to McCook County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in McCook 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.
McCook County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for McCook County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in McCook County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of McCook County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in McCook County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
McCook 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.