Is White Lake, SD a Good Place to Live?
White Lake is a small town of 404 in South Dakota, with a median household income of $47,500 . Its cost of living index is 84 (US average = 100), which is 16% below the national average.
Strengths: White Lake 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 White Lake is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All White Lake 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: 84.4White Lake's overall cost of living index is 84.4, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in White Lake costs roughly 16% less than the average American city.
| Metric | White Lake, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $58,900 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $633 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 78.8% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $47,500 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for White Lake is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
White Lake is served primarily by White Lake School District 01-3. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9.2:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | White Lake, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | White Lake School District 01-3 | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 9.2:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 9.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 90.1% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
White Lake sees average highs of 27.1°F in January and 85.5°F in July, with 23.9 inches of annual precipitation and 37.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | White Lake, SD |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 27.1°F |
| Average High — July | 85.5°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 23.9" |
| Annual Snowfall | 37.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | White Lake, SD | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 404 | — |
| Median Age | 52.2 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 0.0% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 15.9 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 97.8% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 2.2% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 21.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 35.9% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in White Lake
White Lake, SD is covered by 1 ZIP code: