Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Harrisburg - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
Nationally, Harrisburg sits in the 79th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
79th
percentile, household income
62nd
percentile, home value
33rd
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: Harrisburg, SD
7,790 people live in Harrisburg, South Dakota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $101,534 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.7%. Harrisburg's housing stock carries a median value of $281,400, and the median resident age is 30.2 years. 40.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 85.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 68 residential building permits were authorized in Harrisburg (Construction Slowdown), down 52% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.
Living costs in South Dakota run below the national norm: the state registers 88.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,156 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts South Dakota's average monthly utility costs around $200 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 63.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
Population
7,790 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Dakota
Median Household Income
$101,534/yr
Poverty 0.7%
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.6 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average
How does Harrisburg compare to other US cities?
Where Harrisburg sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income79% higher than other cities
Home value62% pricier than other cities
Median rent33% 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 Harrisburg 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
Bachelor's Degree or Higher is Harrisburg's strongest outlier among South Dakota cities
Among the 303 South Dakota cities PlainCities tracks with reported bachelor's degree or higher data, Harrisburg ranks #19 - the 94th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Harrisburg only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#26 of 285
91st percentile in South Dakota
Median Gross Rent
#20 of 303
82nd percentile in South Dakota
Median Home Value
#24 of 263
91st percentile in South Dakota
Poverty Rate
#248 of 302
18th percentile in South Dakota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#19 of 303
94th 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.
79th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Harrisburg's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$281,40038th percentilemore affordable than 38% of 15,600 US cities
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
Harrisburg, 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 Harrisburg, SD. Diagonal = perfect equality.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)40.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)85.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,790
Median Income
$101,534
Median Home Value
$281,400
Median Age
30.2
Poverty Rate
0.7%
Labor force participation
85.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.5%
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Harrisburg's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
68
housing units authorized
Single-Family
68
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
8.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
142
88
54
$22.7M
2020
309
103
206
$40.1M
2021
288
172
116
$57.2M
2022
439
201
238
$77.1M
2023
312
152
160
$57.3M
2024
68
68
0
$19.2M
Permit volume decreased 52% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
83.0%
Carpool
3.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
10.9%
Based on 4,458 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 Harrisburg sits in
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SD NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Harrisburg, SD?
What is the population of Harrisburg, SD?+
Harrisburg, SD has a population of 7,790 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Harrisburg, SD?+
In Harrisburg, the typical household earns $101,534 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Harrisburg?+
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Harrisburg; 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 median home value in Harrisburg, SD?+
A typical home in Harrisburg is worth $281,400, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.