Cities with highest divorce rate in South Dakota research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze South Dakota’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in South Dakota based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
-
The city with the highest divorce rate in South Dakota is Sisseton based on the most recent Census data.
-
Sisseton is 14.0% Divorced.
-
The city with the lowest divorce rate in South Dakota is North Sioux City.
-
North Sioux City is 0.0% Divorced.
-
South Dakota is 6.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 43,556 people living in South Dakota over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2026.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Mount Rushmore State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in South Dakota with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In South Dakota With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in South Dakota with the highest divorce rate? That would be Sisseton, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall South Dakota divorce rate? According to the 2020-2024 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in South Dakota is 6.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in South Dakota.
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- Richest Cities In South Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Dakota
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In South Dakota For 2026
1. Sisseton
/10
Population: 2,670
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 299
Median Income: $48,875
More on Sisseton: Crime | Movers
2. Clark
/10
Population: 1,359
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 141
Median Income: $58,750
More on Clark: Movers
3. Eagle Butte
/10
Population: 1,458
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 151
Median Income: $45,741
More on Eagle Butte: Movers
4. Redfield
/10
Population: 1,989
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 190
Median Income: $58,229
More on Redfield: Movers
5. Parker
Population: 1,280
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 122
Median Income: $89,676
More on Parker: Movers
6. Parkston
/10
Population: 1,874
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 164
Median Income: $70,139
More on Parkston: Movers
7. Miller
/10
Population: 1,363
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 119
Median Income: $57,500
More on Miller: Movers
8. Webster
/10
Population: 1,896
Divorce Rate: 10.0%
Divorcees: 151
Median Income: $55,179
More on Webster: Movers
/10
How We Determined The Places In South Dakota That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 63 places in South Dakota with a population of over 1,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of South Dakota the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Sisseton.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out North Sioux City, the city with the lowest divorce rate in South Dakota.
We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in South Dakota with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In South Dakota After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In South Dakota: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Mount Rushmore State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in South Dakota are Sisseton, Clark, Eagle Butte, Redfield, Parker, Parkston, Miller, Webster, Hot Springs, and Canton.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in South Dakota could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- Richest Cities In South Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Dakota
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sisseton, SD | 2,670 | 299 | 14.0% |
| 2 | Clark, SD | 1,359 | 141 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Eagle Butte, SD | 1,458 | 151 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Redfield, SD | 1,989 | 190 | 12.0% |
| 5 | Parker, SD | 1,280 | 122 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Parkston, SD | 1,874 | 164 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Miller, SD | 1,363 | 119 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Webster, SD | 1,896 | 151 | 10.0% |
| 9 | Hot Springs, SD | 3,548 | 283 | 10.0% |
| 10 | Canton, SD | 3,033 | 242 | 10.0% |
| 11 | Springfield, SD | 2,038 | 146 | 9.0% |
| 12 | Chamberlain, SD | 2,588 | 186 | 9.0% |
| 13 | Ipswich, SD | 1,048 | 75 | 9.0% |
| 14 | Pierre, SD | 13,948 | 1,004 | 9.0% |
| 15 | Gettysburg, SD | 1,260 | 90 | 9.0% |
| 16 | Tyndall, SD | 1,183 | 75 | 8.0% |
| 17 | Garretson, SD | 1,176 | 75 | 8.0% |
| 18 | Deadwood, SD | 1,209 | 77 | 8.0% |
| 19 | Freeman, SD | 1,565 | 87 | 7.0% |
| 20 | Belle Fourche, SD | 5,804 | 325 | 7.0% |
| 21 | Lennox, SD | 2,468 | 138 | 7.0% |
| 22 | Rapid City, SD | 77,946 | 4,364 | 7.0% |
| 23 | Aberdeen, SD | 28,189 | 1,578 | 7.0% |
| 24 | Mission, SD | 1,539 | 86 | 7.0% |
| 25 | Milbank, SD | 3,525 | 197 | 7.0% |
| 26 | Flandreau, SD | 2,392 | 133 | 7.0% |
| 27 | Mobridge, SD | 2,932 | 164 | 7.0% |
| 28 | Groton, SD | 1,691 | 94 | 7.0% |
| 29 | Huron, SD | 14,385 | 805 | 7.0% |
| 30 | Gregory, SD | 1,379 | 66 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Harrisburg, SD | 8,519 | 408 | 6.0% |
| 32 | Crooks, SD | 1,268 | 60 | 6.0% |
| 33 | Brandon, SD | 10,996 | 527 | 6.0% |
| 34 | Fort Pierre, SD | 2,410 | 115 | 6.0% |
| 35 | Yankton, SD | 15,540 | 745 | 6.0% |
| 36 | Watertown, SD | 23,044 | 1,106 | 6.0% |
| 37 | Worthing, SD | 1,036 | 49 | 6.0% |
| 38 | Madison, SD | 6,094 | 292 | 6.0% |
| 39 | Mitchell, SD | 15,649 | 751 | 6.0% |
| 40 | Platte, SD | 1,161 | 55 | 6.0% |
| 41 | Sioux Falls, SD | 201,469 | 9,670 | 6.0% |
| 42 | Custer, SD | 2,341 | 93 | 5.0% |
| 43 | Baltic, SD | 1,502 | 60 | 5.0% |
| 44 | Wagner, SD | 1,529 | 61 | 5.0% |
| 45 | Salem, SD | 1,216 | 48 | 5.0% |
| 46 | Volga, SD | 2,408 | 96 | 5.0% |
| 47 | Sturgis, SD | 7,086 | 283 | 5.0% |
| 48 | Winner, SD | 2,905 | 116 | 5.0% |
| 49 | Lemmon, SD | 1,208 | 48 | 5.0% |
| 50 | Dell Rapids, SD | 3,905 | 124 | 4.0% |
| 51 | Brookings, SD | 23,948 | 766 | 4.0% |
| 52 | Tea, SD | 6,786 | 217 | 4.0% |
| 53 | Clear Lake, SD | 1,327 | 42 | 4.0% |
| 54 | Spearfish, SD | 12,930 | 413 | 4.0% |
| 55 | Summerset, SD | 3,022 | 96 | 4.0% |
| 56 | Box Elder, SD | 12,902 | 412 | 4.0% |
| 57 | Lead, SD | 3,006 | 72 | 3.0% |
| 58 | Beresford, SD | 2,360 | 56 | 3.0% |
| 59 | Elk Point, SD | 2,537 | 40 | 2.0% |
| 60 | Aurora, SD | 1,444 | 23 | 2.0% |
| 61 | Vermillion, SD | 11,878 | 190 | 2.0% |
| 62 | Hartford, SD | 3,478 | 27 | 1.0% |
| 63 | North Sioux City, SD | 3,045 | 0 | 0.0% |