Brandon, South Dakota

All About Brandon

Brandon is located in Minnehaha County and is approximately six miles from Sioux Falls to the east. Brandon is considered a suburb of Sioux Falls and was chosen as South Dakota’s safest city in 2019 by Safewise and again in 2021 based on data from the website Niche. Niche also ranked it as the #1 best place to raise a family in South Dakota as well as #1 best place to buy a house and city with the best schools in the state. The population as of the 2019 census was 11,048.

Brandon’s Environment

Brandon is close to several popular outdoor recreation spots such as Great Bear Recreation Park and the Big Sioux Recreation area. Hiking, camping, fishing and skiing are among the many outdoor sports favored by locals. Brandon is situated along both the Big Sioux River and Split Rock Creek. Other popular outdoor locations situated near Brandon are Palisades State Park in Garretson and the Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota.

Typical Climate in Brandon

Like neighboring Sioux Falls, Brandon has four seasons with hot, humid summers and cold, dry and windy winters. Annual snowfall is around 37 inches. July is the hottest month of the year with an average high temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit and January is the coldest month with temperatures averaging between 11 and 27 degrees Fahrenheit.

Economic Outlook for Brandon

Brandon’s economic outlook is strong, with a job market increase recently of 1.7%. Job growth is projected to be 35.6% over the next ten years compared to the overall national average of 33.5%. The current unemployment rate in Brandon is 3.2% which is well below the national rate. There is no state income tax and the sales tax rate for Brandon is 6.5%. Top industries in Brandon are construction, financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and education. Brandon is currently looking into expanding due to the growth of the city.

Education in Brandon

Students are served by the Brandon Valley School District with four elementary schools and one middle school, intermediate school and high school. For higher education, students can choose from nearby schools in Sioux Falls such as Augustana University, South Dakota State University and the University of Sioux Falls among others.