Railroad Camp Shanty · National Register of Historic Places
De Smet’s story
146 years in pictures
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1880De Smet is settled
De SmetSD
A town of 943, settled in 1880. Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
Photo: Ross Griff · CC BY 2.0
Population
943
−3% since 2010
Median home value
$165K
Census ACS
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
47.3
years
Jobs based here
654
Balanced
What makes De Smet stand out
The 2 things De Smet does most differently from other towns.
Small town
943 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
De Smet’s report card
Now in De Smet
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Live in De Smet? Is a C− for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in De Smet’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
Weather
Forecast →64°
Cloudy
H 0° · L 59°
Local news
All →- How donors in De Smet are bringing big projects to little town on the prairieSouth Dakota News Watch · Aug 26
- New ‘Little House’ series response in De Smetyahoo.com · Jul 9
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in De Smet. Another town gets a different order.
Schools
De Smet’s public schools outperform 18% of South Dakota districts
The public schools De Smet’s kids attend trail 82% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
C−School Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary - 02 | PK–5 | 176 | B |
| De Smet Middle School - 03 | 6–8 | 91 | C− |
| De Smet High School - 01 | 9–12 | 95 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state testsAll 3 schools →
Natural hazards
Low risk, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 30% of U.S. communities.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Snowy winters, pleasant summers
De Smet has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–27°
Spring33–55°
Summer58–80°
Fall36–58°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Work & commute
About one in three working residents works right in De Smet
About one in 3 of De Smet’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (9%), Huron (7%) and De Smet (5%). Half commute less than 27 miles.
31%work in town
Where working residents work
In De Smet31%
Sioux Falls9%
Huron7%
De Smet5%
Brookings5%
27 mi
median commute distance
654
jobs based in De Smet
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Health
How healthy De Smet is
De Smet beats the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better20 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | De Smet | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.4% | 75.9% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88% | 84.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 9.2% |
Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital - Cah
0.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Outdoors
0.3% of De Smet is conserved land
0.0 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves.
0.3%conserved
0.3%
conserved · 2 of 734 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Rose Vincent Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Ingalls Wilder Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Landmarks
5 places in De Smet on the National Register of Historic Places.
About De Smet
Town in South Dakota, United States
De Smet is a city in and the county seat of Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1880
- Population
- 1,056
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,726 ft
- ZIP code
- 57231
- Area code
- 605
More about De Smet
Still missing for De Smet:archive photosupcoming events