City profile · South Dakota · Census ACS 2023

Brandon, SD

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Brandon - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

10,996
Residents
$104,806
Median income
$317,300
Median home
$1,156
Median rent (state)

Brandon - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Brandon lands in the 80th percentile for household income and the 87th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

80th
percentile, household income
67th
percentile, home value
33rd
percentile, median rent
87th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Brandon, SD

Brandon is a small town in South Dakota, home to 10,996 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $104,806 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.6%. Typical homes in Brandon are valued around $317,300, and the median resident age is 37.7 years. Educational attainment runs 40.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 75.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 193 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 436% from five years earlier. Brandon reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 448.1 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in South Dakota run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts South Dakota at 88.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,156 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Dakota run around $200, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 89.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).

Population

10,996 residents

Census ACS 2023 - South Dakota

Median Household Income

$104,806 /yr

Poverty 0.6%

Cost of Living Index (state)

88.6 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average

How does Brandon compare to other US cities?

Brandon measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 80% higher than other cities
Home value 67% pricier than other cities
Median rent 33% pricier than other cities
Safety 87% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to South Dakota alone, Brandon ranks #5 of 34 South Dakota cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Brandon's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in South Dakota, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

80thIncome percentile
87thSafety percentile

80th percentile nationally for median household income · 87th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Brandon's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Brandon's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 72 Avg. percentile National median
Brandon's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Brandon's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$317,300 33rd percentile more affordable than 33% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Brandon $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Brandon, SD Brandon, SD's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Brandon, SD-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Brandon, SD median $104,806/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Brandon, SD's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Brandon, SD. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 40.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 75.1%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
10,996
Median Income
$104,806
Median Home Value
$317,300
Median Age
37.7
Poverty Rate
0.6%
Labor force participation
75.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.6%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
448.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
73.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
374.9
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
10,800 residents11,000 residents11,200 residents11,400 residents 202020212022202320242025 11,041 residents 11,306 residents ▲ +2.4%
Brandon's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
193
housing units authorized
Single-Family
48
detached homes
Multifamily
145
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
17.6
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 36
2020 53
2021 84
2022 55
2023 14
2024 193

Permit volume increased 436% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
73.8%
Carpool
6.0%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
16.5%
Other
1.8%

Based on 6,024 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for South Dakota - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$65
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$200
estimated/month

Estimates reflect South Dakota state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a South Dakota state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Brandon sits in

Cost of Living Index
88.6
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,156/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
89.5 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in South Dakota

Vermillion
11,800 people
Box Elder
12,457 people
Spearfish
12,551 people
Pierre
14,008 people
Harrisburg
7,790 people
Huron
14,347 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Brandon's 10,996 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Bolivar, MO
10,996 people
Elgin, TX
10,996 people
North Bellport, NY
10,999 people
Beachwood, NJ
11,002 people
Brandywine, MD
10,989 people
Huntertown, IN
10,984 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Brandon's $104,806 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Spring Valley CDP (San Diego County), CA
$104,808 median income
Collinsville, CT
$104,808 median income
Peotone, IL
$104,792 median income
Malone, WA
$104,792 median income
Silver Peak, NV
$104,821 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Brandon, SD Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Brandon, SD - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 93.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.5% White 93.0% Black or African American 3.0% Asian 0.1% American Indian 0.2% Native Hawaiian 0.1% Some other race 0.0% Two or more races 3.5% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Brandon compares to nearby South Dakota cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Brandon (this city) 10,996 $104,806
Vermillion 11,800 $52,815
Box Elder 12,457 $73,698
Spearfish 12,551 $59,731
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SD FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Brandon, SD?

What is the population of Brandon, SD? +

The population of Brandon, SD stands at 10,996 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Brandon, SD? +

In Brandon, the typical household earns $104,806 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Brandon? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Brandon; the closest available measure is the South Dakota state average, a cost of living index of 88.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within South Dakota vary by metro area.

Is Brandon, SD safe? +

Brandon has a total crime rate of 448.1 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Brandon, SD? +

Homes in Brandon carry a median value of $317,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.