Is Bison, SD a Good Place to Live?
Bison is a small town of 417 in South Dakota, with a median household income of $66,786 . Its cost of living index is 89 (US average = 100), which is 11% below the national average.
Strengths: Bison stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Bison is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Bison 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: 88.7Bison's overall cost of living index is 88.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Bison costs roughly 11% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Bison, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $74,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $944 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 79.0% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $66,786 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Bison is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Bison is served primarily by Bison School District 52-1. The student-to-teacher ratio is 8.0:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Bison, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Bison School District 52-1 | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 8.0:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 17.9% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 94.8% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Bison sees average highs of 29.6°F in January and 86.2°F in July, with 18.1 inches of annual precipitation and 39.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Bison, SD |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 29.6°F |
| Average High — July | 86.2°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 18.1" |
| Annual Snowfall | 39.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Bison, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 417 | — |
| Median Age | 46.9 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 0.0% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 9.5 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 96.2% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 21.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 26.1% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Bison
Bison, SD is covered by 1 ZIP code: