IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Mellette, SD
Mellette is a tiny town of 199 people in Spink County, South Dakota. It's about 142 miles from Sioux Falls, SD and 256 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 41 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $201k and rent runs about $734 a month.
199people
$201kTypical home
$734/moRent
84° / 22°Summer / winter
41"Snow
245Sunny days
81Rain/snow days
Is Mellette right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 199
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 777 people per sq mi
- 256 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 142 mi to Sioux Falls, SD
- 21 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $201k (≈$1,268/mo)
- Median rent $734/mo
- Median household income $107k
- Property tax about 1.0% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 22°F
- Comfortable summers (dew point 56°F)
- 245 sunny days a year (72 totally clear)
- 120 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 81 days a year with rain or snow
- 41" of snow a year
- 15 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 68 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
People
- Median age 39
- 27% of households have kids
- 23% are 65 or older
- 26% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 7% walk or take transit to work
- 21 mi to ABR airport
- 258 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 172 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1985
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,289 ft
- 848 mi to the ocean
- 85 mi to a big lake
- 89 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 99 mi to the nearest ski area
- 19 mi to the nearest campground
- 4 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 24 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 13 bars within 25 mi
- 8 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 3 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 21 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 29% of South Dakota districts (reading)
- 21 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 21 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 23 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 21 mi to the nearest vet
- 22 mi to the nearest dog park
- 19 congregations per 10k people
- 21 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Spink County: R+39 in 2024
- South Dakota: R+29 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very 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.