City profile · South Dakota · Census ACS 2023

Lower Brule, SD

Lower Brule's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

777
Residents
$31,667
Median income
$22,500
Median home
$990
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Lower Brule.

Place dossier plate

Sheet SD-LOWER-BRULE-SD · Lower Brule, SD 777 pop · income 3rd pct · 2 tracts

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-FEW

  • POP-VILLAGE 777
  • INC-LOW $31,667
  • COL-BELOW 88.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 3rd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Jacksons' Gap
  • HOME-LOW $22,500
  • BOOK-FEW 2 tracts

Nearest income peer: Jacksons' Gap, AL (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Lower Brule

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lower Brule on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Lower Brule on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 777.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $31,667. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Lower Brule - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Lower Brule places in the 3rd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

3rd
percentile, household income
0th
percentile, home value
13th
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: Lower Brule, SD

South Dakota's Lower Brule is a small town, with 777 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Lower Brule brings in $31,667 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 59.0%. Typical homes in Lower Brule are valued around $22,500, and the median resident age is 22.0 years. Educational attainment runs 12.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 39.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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 $990 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Dakota run around $200, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 26.8 out of 100 (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Lower Brule's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to housing and income to within-city variation to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Lower Brule, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Lower Brule?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Lower Brule?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 0.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 59.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

Compare the housing trade-off →

3. Within-city variation

What can 2 Census tracts reveal inside Lower Brule?

That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.

PlainCities matches 2 Census tracts to this city.

Explore Lower Brule's tract profiles →

Question 4

Which cities make useful reference points for Lower Brule?

Within South Dakota, the closest population matches are Wonderland Homes (782 residents, $88,500 income); Lake Norden (769 residents, $71,923 income); Bryant (761 residents, $60,592 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Courtland, AL (777 residents); Rockport, AR (777 residents); Bradenton Beach, FL (777 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

777 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$31,667 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 59.0% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

88.6 (US=100)

Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average

City profile score · Lower Brule, SD

25/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living A+
88.6 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share F
12.0%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income F
$31,667

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
59.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Lower Brule profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Poverty rate. Cost of livingBachelor's+ shareHousehold incomePoverty rate 25 F
Lower Brule profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 91/100 (A+) · 88.6 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 12/100 (F) · 12.0%
  • Household income: 0/100 (F) · $31,667
  • Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 59.0%

How does Lower Brule compare to other US cities?

Here's how Lower Brule stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 3% higher than other cities
Home value 0% pricier than other cities
Median rent 13% 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 Lower Brule 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 Lower Brule near the bottom of South Dakota's cities

Among the 303 South Dakota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lower Brule ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lower Brule only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#270 of 285
5th percentile in South Dakota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 303
0th percentile in South Dakota
Median Home Value
#262 of 263
0th percentile in South Dakota
Poverty Rate
#18 of 302
94th percentile in South Dakota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#234 of 303
23rd percentile in South Dakota
How in-state ranks are ordered

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.

3rdIncome percentile
Gauge source note

3rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Lower Brule's home value compares nationally

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

$22,500 Among the most affordable more affordable than 100% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $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. Lower Brule $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

Lower Brule's home-value-to-income ratio: 0.7×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#11 of 15,516
More affordable than 100% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 0.7×, Lower Brule sits in the affordable band: national rank #11 of 15,516 and #11 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$31,667 Lower Brule, SD median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Lower Brule, SD Lower Brule, SD's median household income ($31,667) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Lower Brule, SD-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Lower Brule, SD median $31,667/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%
Lower Brule, SD median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Lower Brule, SD.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 59.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 39.8%

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

Population
777
Median Income
$31,667
Median Home Value
$22,500
Median Age
22.0
Poverty Rate
59.0%
Labor force participation
39.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.0%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
70.0%
Carpool
12.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.0%
Work from Home
6.0%
Other
9.5%

Based on 200 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

South Dakota statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $200

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Dakota at $200 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $40 ).

These are South Dakota statewide averages, not a meter reading for Lower Brule. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

South Dakota's BEA cost-of-living index is 88.6 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Lower Brule is $990/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Dakota statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 26.8 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a South Dakota statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Lower Brule sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Lower Brule compares to similar-size South Dakota cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Lower Brule (this city) 777 $31,667
Wonderland Homes 782 $88,500
Lake Norden 769 $71,923
Bryant 761 $60,592
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

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

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

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.

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