Population
631 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Dakota
City profile · South Dakota · Census ACS 2023
St. Francis, SD
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for St. Francis - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 631
- Residents
- $45,417
- Median income
- $929
- Median rent (state)
St. Francis - the verdict
Nationally, St. Francis sits in the 13th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
- 13th
- percentile, household income
- 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: St. Francis, SD
South Dakota's St. Francis is a small town, with 631 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in St. Francis brings in $45,417 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 33.3%. The median resident age is 25.8 years. About 38.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 54.9% 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 $929 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts South Dakota's average monthly utility costs around $200 (state average). Commute times here average 13.0 minutes, with 58.9% driving alone and 3.3% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 36.6 out of 100 (Very Low).
Median Household Income
$45,417 /yr
Poverty 33.3%
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.6 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average
How does St. Francis compare to other US cities?
Where St. Francis sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 13% higher than other cities
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 St. Francis 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 St. Francis near the bottom of South Dakota's cities
Among the 303 South Dakota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, St. Francis ranks #145 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares St. Francis only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#238 of 285
16th percentile in South Dakota
Median Gross Rent
#145 of 303
0th percentile in South Dakota
Poverty Rate
#34 of 302
89th percentile in South Dakota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#27 of 303
91st 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.
13th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 38.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 33.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 54.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
631
Median Income
$45,417
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
25.8
Poverty Rate
33.3%
Labor force participation
54.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
38.1%
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
13.0 minutes
Drive Alone
58.9%
Carpool
14.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
23.4%
Work from Home
3.3%
Based on 209 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 St. Francis 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
36.6 / 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 St. Francis's 631 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to St. Francis's $45,417 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How St. Francis 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 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about St. Francis, SD?
What is the population of St. Francis, SD? +
St. Francis, SD counts 631 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in St. Francis, SD? +
Median annual household income in St. Francis runs $45,417, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in St. Francis? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for St. Francis; 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.
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.
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.