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Watertown

A city of 23,044 people in South Dakota
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Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

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About Watertown

City in South Dakota, United States
1879Established
22,655Population
25.9 sq miArea
1,742 ftElevation

Watertown 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…

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From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Town numbers

ZIP code57201
Area code605
Living in Watertown

Housing in Watertown

$315K▲ 4.2% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

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

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s
Days on market44
Sale-to-list98.4%
Sold in May31
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Watertown

C+

Safety Grade C+

Watertown reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 56% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000
Watertown 1.8
South Dakota 3.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Watertown 7.3
South Dakota 14.3
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Watertown

Compared with South Dakota

≈Just like South Dakota

No difference on any of 26 measures is outside the margin of error.

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

Nothing stands out: Watertown tracks South Dakota closely.

Care nearby

Prairie Lakes Healthcare SystemWatertown · 1.8 mi · ER
Horizon Health - Lake PrestonLake Preston · 39.5 mi · sliding-scale fees
Primary careNo shortage
DentalNo shortage
Mental healthShortage · county-wide
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Watertown · CMS · HRSAHealth in Watertown →

Schools in Watertown

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B

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.

#11Best public schoolsof 34 in SD
DistrictWatertown School District 14-4Schools10

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.

Famous people from WatertownWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Watertown.Meet them →

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Watertown

South Dakota · SD
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01