South Dakota is home to 907,400 residents; Pierre is its capital and Sioux Falls its largest city · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in South Dakota?
South Dakota ranks 4th safest of the 50 states and Washington, DC for property crime, with a CrimeGrade™ of A+. Theft makes up 54% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A+, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 954 of 1,0004th safest of the 50 states and DCi What this means
87% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than South Dakota as a whole, and 13% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Dakota scores 954.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in South Dakota at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Dakota, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in South Dakota
Crime per resident runs higher than the grade. South Dakota draws many workers, shoppers and visitors: it has 49 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Crimes against them are counted against the few who live here, so crime per resident looks higher than the CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ counts everyone who spends time here.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in South Dakota
Low property crime is the norm across South Dakota: 92% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Property crime grades across South Dakota run from A+ to D+.
92%
A or B 92%C 8%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
All 66 counties, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Cities of 10,000 or more residents, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Is property crime going up in South Dakota?
Reported property crime in South Dakota peaked in 2020 and has fallen 16% since, back near its 2019 level. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 17 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
South DakotaUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across South Dakota. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, South Dakota
Property, US
2016
+13%
+15%
2017
+5%
+12%
2018
-1%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+7%
-8%
2021
-3%
-10%
2022
+1%
-6%
2023
-8%
-7%
2024
-9%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in South Dakota
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Dakota has about 23 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in South Dakota, about 54% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in South Dakota
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across South Dakota, 2022 to 2024.
In South Dakota, 55% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often at homes: 39% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (55%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (39%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (38%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (39%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in South Dakota and nearby states
South Dakota has less property crime than 8 of its 10 nearest states; only Wyoming and North Dakota have less.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Dakota. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with states of similar size, South Dakota is safer than 83% of them.
Density, transit and night lighting in South Dakota
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, one sets South Dakota apart: it has 5% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less car theft, and it runs low here.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.5% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for South Dakota: F (1 of 100).1 trips an hourUS: noneLower than for 96% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.70% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 80% of Americans
Show all 4
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.7.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 69% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs South Dakota
Property crime costs South Dakota about $144 million a year, or $159 per resident and about $412 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$15 million
$17
Theft
$57 million
$63
Vehicle theft
$28 million
$31
Arson
$2.8 million
$3
Vandalism
$41 million
$46
Total
$144 million
$159
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
