Living in Deadwood, South Dakota: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 13.3% below the U.S. average in the parts of South Dakota outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood6 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.3 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 20.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Lead-Deadwood High School - 01, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close byMonument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDenver is about 325 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Deadwood meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 18% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $226,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 16%Lawrence County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $702 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $40,179U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $2,409 a yearSouth Dakota: $2,724
Homes built since 2010: 7%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 14%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 86.7U.S. average = 100 (the parts of South Dakota outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of South Dakota outside metro areas, not Deadwood alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,3602020: 1,149
Median age: 57.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 37%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 7%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 21%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Retail (11%); schools, health care and social services (10%)
Average commute: 14 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital, Deadwood, SD, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Monument Health Spearfish Hospital, Spearfish, SD, about 10 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Deadwood, run by Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1. The nearest public high school is Lead-Deadwood High School - 01, about 4 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on South Dakota's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 14°F
July average high: 83°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 15 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 192 a year
Rain and melted snow: 31.8 inches a year
Snow: 184 inches a year
Elevation: 4,715 feet

Weather stations: Deadwood (1 mile away) and Lead (3 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Rapid City, SDCity of 81,00033

Denver, COMetro of 3.1 million325

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Rapid City, Denver.

Lawrence County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Deadwood Historic District. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Mount Rushmore National Memorial37 miles
Jewel Cave National Monument45 miles
Devils Tower National Monument50 miles
Wind Cave National Park53 miles

Read about Deadwood's history on Wikipedia.

Know Deadwood?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Lead, SD3,100 people, 3 miles
Spearfish, SD14,200 people, 9 miles
Sturgis, SD6,900 people, 11 miles
Belle Fourche, SD5,800 people, 20 miles
Piedmont, SD1,200 people, 21 miles
Summerset, SD3,000 people, 23 miles

Smaller places

Central City, SD112 people, 3 miles
Crook City, SD (unincorporated)279 people, 5 miles
Boulder Canyon, SD (unincorporated)841 people, 6 miles
Whitewood, SD981 people, 7 miles
Mountain Plains, SD (unincorporated)350 people, 9 miles
North Spearfish, SD (unincorporated)1,858 people, 12 miles
Blucksberg Mountain, SD (unincorporated)692 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.