Do you live in one of the most miserable places in South Dakota?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in South Dakota – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which South Dakota cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Mount Rushmore State:
- Vermillion (Photos)
- Flandreau
- Spearfish (Photos)
- Rapid City (Photos)
- Brookings (Photos)
- Winner
- Sturgis (Photos)
- Lead
- Chamberlain
- Mobridge
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Tea is the happiest place in South Dakota.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In South Dakota
In order to rank the unhappiest places in South Dakota, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in South Dakota with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 40 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In South Dakota’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Vermillion
Population: 10,697People Who Own Their Home: 36.81%
Married Adults: 27.47%
2. Flandreau
Population: 2,088People Who Own Their Home: 51.55%
Married Adults: 41.83%
3. Spearfish
Population: 10,836People Who Own Their Home: 47.29%
Married Adults: 45.55%
4. Rapid City
Population: 70,126People Who Own Their Home: 54.42%
Married Adults: 45.19%
5. Brookings
Population: 22,645People Who Own Their Home: 44.9%
Married Adults: 33.98%
6. Winner
Population: 2,871People Who Own Their Home: 54.71%
Married Adults: 46.36%
7. Sturgis
Population: 6,652People Who Own Their Home: 52.68%
Married Adults: 46.51%
8. Lead
Population: 3,097People Who Own Their Home: 57.56%
Married Adults: 54.08%
9. Chamberlain
Population: 2,660People Who Own Their Home: 52.79%
Married Adults: 49.36%
10. Mobridge
Population: 3,293 People Who Own Their Home: 46.51%
Married Adults: 47.1%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more South Dakota reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In South Dakota
- These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In South Dakota
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In South Dakota
City | Rank |
---|---|
Vermillion | 1 |
Flandreau | 2 |
Spearfish | 3 |
Rapid City | 4 |
Brookings | 5 |
Winner | 6 |
Sturgis | 7 |
Lead | 8 |
Chamberlain | 9 |
Mobridge | 10 |
Belle Fourche | 11 |
Hot Springs | 12 |
Madison | 13 |
Huron | 14 |
Box Elder | 15 |
Sioux Falls | 16 |
Watertown | 17 |
Lennox | 18 |
Yankton | 19 |
Mitchell | 20 |
North Sioux City | 21 |
Canton | 22 |
Summerset | 23 |
Blackhawk | 24 |
Aberdeen | 25 |
Hartford | 26 |
Rapid Valley | 27 |
Dell Rapids | 28 |
Milbank | 29 |
Dakota Dunes | 30 |
Brandon | 31 |
Pierre | 32 |
Fort Pierre | 33 |
Redfield | 34 |
Elk Point | 35 |
Volga | 36 |
Beresford | 37 |
Harrisburg | 38 |
Colonial Pine Hills | 39 |
Tea | 40 |