Watertown
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Upcoming events
Put the next local happening — a market, a meeting, a concert — on the map.
Local news
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Watertown album
Outdoors in Watertown
Parks & trails →Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About Watertown
City in South Dakota, United StatesWatertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center, which houses many of the works of wildlife artist Terry Redlin. Watertown is between Pelican Lake and Lake Kampeska, from which Redlin derived inspiration for his artwork. The population was 22,655 at the 2020 census, making Watertown South Dakota's 5th-most populous city. It is also the principal city of the Watertown Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Codington County. It is home to the Bramble Park Zoo. Watertown's residential real estate is considered the most expensive in South Dakota for cities of its size; the median price for a ho…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
How Watertown ranks
All →Town numbers
Housing in Watertown
The typical Watertown home is worth about $315,000, up 4.2% in a year, close to the South Dakota typical home.
A seller's market
Safety in Watertown
Safety Grade C+
Watertown reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 56% report less.
Work & commute in Watertown
Full picture →67% of Watertown’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (9%), Brookings (2%) and Sheridan (1%). Half commute less than 3 miles.
Health in Watertown
Health Grade B
Healthier than 58% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 73% of towns with similar incomes.
Compared with South Dakota
No difference on any of 26 measures is outside the margin of error.
What stands out
Nothing stands out: Watertown tracks South Dakota closely.
Care nearby
Natural hazards in Watertown
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities.
Climate in Watertown
Full climate →Watertown has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Schools in Watertown
All Watertown schools →School Grade B
The public schools Watertown’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 56% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within SD. Ratings are from neighbors.
Watertown is a college town
Colleges →of Watertown’s residents are enrolled in college. Lake Area Technical College has about 1,709 students on campus.
Watertown’s library
Library details →Where Watertown is
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