Median Income
$67,500
household / year
Median Home Value
$47,700
owner-occupied
Median Rent
$794
gross / month
Cost of Living
85
national avg = 100

Is Alpena, SD a Good Place to Live?

Alpena is a small town of 407 in South Dakota, with a median household income of $67,500 . Its cost of living index is 85 (US average = 100), which is 15% below the national average.

Strengths: Alpena stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, short average commutes.

Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Alpena is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.

All Alpena city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.

Cost of Living

Index: 85.2

Alpena's overall cost of living index is 85.2, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Alpena costs roughly 15% less than the average American city.

Metric Alpena, SD National Avg
Median Home Value $47,700 $244,900
Median Monthly Rent $794 $1,163
Homeownership Rate 95.9% 65.9%
Median Household Income $67,500 $74,755

Crime & Safety

Crime data for Alpena is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.

Schools & Education

Metric Alpena, SD National Avg
School District N/A —
Elementary Schools N/A —
Middle Schools N/A —
High Schools N/A —
Student/Teacher Ratio N/A 16:1
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 9.0% 35.4%
High School Diploma or Higher 88.0% 91.1%

Weather & Climate

Alpena sees average highs of 25.4°F in January and 84.4°F in July, with 25.7 inches of annual precipitation and 44.5 inches of snow per year.

MetricAlpena, SD
Average High — January25.4°F
Average High — July84.4°F
Annual Precipitation25.7"
Annual Snowfall44.5"

Demographics

MetricAlpena, SDNational Avg
Population407—
Median Age40.138.9
Unemployment Rate0.0%3.7%
Avg Commute Time14.0 min26 min
White (non-Hispanic)69.5%59.3%
Black or African American0.0%13.6%
Hispanic or Latino17.4%18.9%
Asian0.0%6.3%
Under 1830.0%22.2%
65 and over21.1%16.8%

Nearby Cities

Virgil, SD 8 mi Lane, SD 8 mi Woonsocket, SD 10 mi Wessington Springs, SD 12 mi Huron, SD 15 mi

ZIP Codes in Alpena

Alpena, SD is covered by 1 ZIP code:

57312

Alpena vs Other Cities

Alpena, SD vs Virgil, SD Alpena, SD vs Lane, SD Alpena, SD vs Woonsocket, SD Alpena, SD vs Wessington Springs, SD Alpena, SD vs Huron, SD

Frequently Asked Questions

Alpena's cost of living index is 85, where 100 is the national average. That makes Alpena roughly 15% less expensive than a typical US city — a meaningful affordability advantage. The median home price is $47,700 and median rent is $794/month.
Crime data for Alpena is not available in the current FBI UCR reporting year. Not all jurisdictions submit data annually.
School district information is sourced from NCES Common Core of Data.
Alpena, SD has a population of 407, a median household income of $67,500, and an unemployment rate of 0.0%. It offers below-average costs of living, which stretches take-home pay further than in most American cities. Whether it's right for you depends on your priorities — use the compare tool above to stack it against another city you're considering.
Alpena averages 25.4°F in January and 84.4°F in July. Annual rainfall is 25.7 inches with about 44.5 inches of snow per year. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991–2020).
Alpena, SD is covered by 1 ZIP code: 57312.
The population of Alpena, South Dakota is 407 with a median age of 40.1. Source: US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates.
Key numbers for living in Alpena: cost of living index 85 (100 = US average), median home $47,700, median household income $67,500. Whether these are benefits or drawbacks depends on where you're coming from — compare Alpena side by side with your current city to see the trade-offs.