Best PlacesNorth Sioux City, SD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Sioux City, 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.
North Sioux City ranks 917th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in North Sioux City
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.
North Sioux City's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Sioux City ranks high
- Short commute13.1 minutes each way, better than 99% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 98% of towns
- BikingBetter than 96% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 95% of towns
Where North Sioux City ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 18% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 21% of towns
- Low property taxBetter than only 25% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than only 32% of towns
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 43% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in North Sioux City
A household needs to earn about $124,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Sioux City home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $109,999, 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 North Sioux City's effective rate of 1.10%, 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 North Sioux City
North Sioux City's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 North Sioux City.
Who works in North Sioux City, and how
Work in North Sioux City centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in North Sioux City
North Sioux City has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of towns. That concentrates in some parts of North Sioux City and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Sioux City, month by month
North Sioux City sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 22° | 12° |
| April | 65° | 49° | 35° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 51° | 38° |
Flying in and out of North Sioux City
The nearest airport, Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day Field, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 89 miles away.
The best schools in and around North Sioux City
Schools across North Sioux City average a B+, better than 71% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Dakota Valley Upper Elementary - 04B− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dakota Valley Middle School - 03B+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Dakota Valley High School - 01B · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Sioux City school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Sioux City 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 North Sioux City against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in North Sioux City
Is North Sioux City a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Sioux City ranks 917th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on short commutes, few empty homes, and low taxes, and lowest on noise and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Sioux City expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $456,845. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $109,999 median income, cost of living beats 95% of towns.
Is North Sioux City safe?
Yes, North Sioux City is safer than 95% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $187 per resident a year.
Compare North Sioux City with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Sioux City. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Sioux City 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.
North Sioux City detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Sioux City: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Sioux City: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Sioux City: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Sioux City: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Sioux City 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.