Population
105 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Dakota
City profile · South Dakota · Census ACS 2023
Cottonwood, SD
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Cottonwood - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 105
- Residents
- $929
- Median rent (state)
Cottonwood - the verdict
105 people call Cottonwood, South Dakota home. Source: Census ACS.
- 8th
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: Cottonwood, SD
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 105 residents in Cottonwood, a small town within South Dakota. The median resident age is 0.0 years. Educational attainment runs 40.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 40.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 46.1°F with 17.4 inches of precipitation per year and 38.2 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in South Dakota run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, South Dakota scores 88.6 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $929 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $200 across South Dakota, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 10.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.6 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average
How does Cottonwood compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cottonwood stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 8% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cottonwood against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Dakota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
South Dakota-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Cottonwood near the bottom of South Dakota's cities
Among the 303 South Dakota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cottonwood ranks #145 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cottonwood only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#145 of 303
0th percentile in South Dakota
Poverty Rate
#254 of 302
0th percentile in South Dakota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#21 of 303
93rd percentile in South Dakota
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Dakota only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Cottonwood in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 40.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 40.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
105
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
0.0
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
40.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.0%
Climate
Avg Temperature
46.1°F
Annual Precipitation
17.4"
Annual Snowfall
38.2"
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 10 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 Cottonwood sits in
Cost of Living Index
88.6
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$929/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
10.2 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in South Dakota
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Cottonwood's 105 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Cottonwood compares to nearby South Dakota cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SD NOAA Normals OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Cottonwood, SD?
What is the population of Cottonwood, SD? +
Cottonwood, SD has a population of 105 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Cottonwood? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Cottonwood; 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.
What is the climate like in Cottonwood? +
Cottonwood has an average annual temperature of 46.1°F, 17.4 inches of precipitation, and 38.2 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, 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 PlainCitiesEvery 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.