These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In South Dakota

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:

1. Vermillion (Photos)
2. Flandreau
3. Spearfish (Photos)
4. Rapid City (Photos)
5. Brookings (Photos)
6. Winner
7. Sturgis (Photos)
8. Lead
9. Chamberlain
10. 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: 10,697
People Who Own Their Home: 36.81%
Married Adults: 27.47%

2. Flandreau

Population: 2,088
People Who Own Their Home: 51.55%
Married Adults: 41.83%

3. Spearfish

Population: 10,836
People Who Own Their Home: 47.29%
Married Adults: 45.55%

4. Rapid City

Population: 70,126
People Who Own Their Home: 54.42%
Married Adults: 45.19%

5. Brookings

Population: 22,645
People Who Own Their Home: 44.9%
Married Adults: 33.98%

6. Winner

Population: 2,871
People Who Own Their Home: 54.71%
Married Adults: 46.36%

7. Sturgis

Population: 6,652
People Who Own Their Home: 52.68%
Married Adults: 46.51%

8. Lead

Population: 3,097
People Who Own Their Home: 57.56%
Married Adults: 54.08%

9. Chamberlain

Population: 2,660
People 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	People Who Own Their Home
Vermillion	1	36.81%
Flandreau	2	51.55%
Spearfish	3	47.29%
Rapid City	4	54.42%
Brookings	5	44.9%
Winner	6	54.71%
Sturgis	7	52.68%
Lead	8	57.56%
Chamberlain	9	52.79%
Mobridge	10	46.51%
Belle Fourche	11	59.91%
Hot Springs	12	48.11%
Madison	13	57.48%
Huron	14	53.9%
Box Elder	15	38.64%
Sioux Falls	16	56.96%
Watertown	17	60.16%
Lennox	18	62.47%
Yankton	19	59.12%
Mitchell	20	54.68%
North Sioux City	21	58.34%
Canton	22	62.03%
Summerset	23	72.61%
Blackhawk	24	82.83%
Aberdeen	25	59.02%
Hartford	26	73.19%
Rapid Valley	27	89.48%
Dell Rapids	28	72.17%
Milbank	29	64.86%
Dakota Dunes	30	56.81%
Brandon	31	71.29%
Pierre	32	56.24%
Fort Pierre	33	70.49%
Redfield	34	55.03%
Elk Point	35	67.33%
Volga	36	69.25%
Beresford	37	71.06%
Harrisburg	38	81.68%
Colonial Pine Hills	39	91.12%
Tea	40	76.67%