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Fort Thompson is a small town of 1,147 people in Buffalo County, South Dakota. It's about 138 miles from Sioux Falls, SD and 309 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 87°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 20 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $134k and rent runs about $563 a month.
1,147people
$134kTypical home
$563/moRent
87° / 29°Summer / winter
20"Snow
250Sunny days
71Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 1,147
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 111 people per sq mi
- 309 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 138 mi to Sioux Falls, SD
- 50 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $134k (≈$844/mo)
- Median rent $563/mo
- Median household income $47k
- Property tax about 0.1% of value
- 11.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 87°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 57°F)
- 250 sunny days a year (79 totally clear)
- 115 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 71 days a year with rain or snow
- 20" of snow a year
- 6 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 4 days a year over 100°F
- 53 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
People
- Median age 23
- 45% of households have kids
- 10% are 65 or older
- 8% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 13 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 49 mi to PIR airport
- 261 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 245 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1974
- 66% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,427 ft
- 932 mi to the ocean
- 5 mi to a big lake
- 72 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 121 mi to the nearest ski area
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 1 golf course within 25 mi
Things to do
- 4 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 3 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 52 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 27% of South Dakota districts (reading)
- 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 108 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 19 mi to the nearest vet
- 31 mi to the nearest dog park
- 73 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Buffalo County: D+27 in 2024
- South Dakota: R+29 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Moderate wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.