MadisonSD
A town of 6,094, settled in 1880. Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
3 bordering towns Map →
Population
6,094
−4.4% since 2010
Typical home
$270K
+1.2% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Jobs based here
3,740
Balanced
What makes Madison stand out The 3 things Madison does most differently from other towns.
College town
12% of Madison is in college
Residents weigh in
Madison is #2 of 37 in SD for “Shortest commute”. Fair?
Agree Disagree
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In the news: City of Madison continues talks on possible data center → How do you get to work from Madison? → Where do you go to stay active in Madison? → What’s your favorite trail or park in Madison? →
73° Mostly Cloudy H 71° · L 59°
Upcoming events
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The data Ordered by what stands out in Madison. Another town gets a different order.
Work & commute
About half of working residents work right in Madison 48% of Madison’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (13%), Brookings (7%) and Lake View (5%). Half commute less than 2 miles.
48% work in town
Where working residents work In Madison 48%
Sioux Falls 13%
Brookings 7%
Lake View 5%
Watertown 2%
2 mi
median commute distance
3,740
jobs based in Madison
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Schools
Madison’s public schools outperform 55% of South Dakota districts The public schools Madison’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 55% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
B School Grade
Health
Healthier than 78% of U.S. towns Madison tracks South Dakota closely on all 26 CDC measures.
A− Health Grade
26 measures vs. South Dakota
Madison Regional Health System
1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
77th
percentile among SD towns
Outdoors
2.4% of Madison is conserved land 2.8 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves.
2.4% conserved
Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below 2.4%
conserved · 72 of 2,940 acres
2.8 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Biggest places to walk Trails Acres 1. Baughman Park — 31 2. Memorial Park 0.1 mi 4 3. Totland Park — 1
Housing
A typical Madison home is worth about $270K The typical Madison home is worth about $270,000, up 1.2% in a year, 16% below the South Dakota typical home.
$270K Zillow home value
Typical home value Madison $270K
South Dakota $322K
+1.2%
value change, 1 year
Climate
Four seasons, pleasant summers Madison has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
37″ snow a winter
Typical low → high °F Winter 9–27°
Spring 33–55°
Summer 58–80°
Fall 36–58°
Sep 30
typical first frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
Safety
Less crime per resident than 65% of U.S. towns Madison reports less crime per resident than 65% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
B+ Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents Madison 1
South Dakota 3.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents Madison 8.9
South Dakota 14.3
U.S. 15.5
65th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
75th
percentile among SD towns
6
violent crimes reported in 2025
54
property crimes reported in 2025
Natural hazards
Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 41% of U.S. communities.
41 risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
41 Moderate risk Lower Higher Inland flooding Tornadoes Cold waves
146
paid flood claims since 1982
5
federal disasters paid out here
1883 · 1883 bird's eye view of Madison, county seat of Lake Co. Dakota · Wikimedia Commons
Madison’s story
146 years in pictures
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 8 places on the National Register.
Explore the history →
Landmarks 8 places in Madison on the National Register of Historic Places.
All landmarks → Famous people from Madison 16 notable people were born in Madison.
See all 16 →
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,191 at the 2020 census. It is home to Dakota State University.
From Wikipedia , licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Established 1880
Population 6,191
Area 4.6 sq mi
Elevation 1,677 ft
ZIP code 57042
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