Sioux Falls, South Dakota
All About Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls is the largest city by population in the state of South Dakota. In fact, residents of the Sioux Falls area make up approximately one third of the state’s population. Sioux Falls is located in both Minnehaha and Lincoln County and its most recent population figures from the U.S. Census (2020) is 192,517.
Environment and Sioux Falls
One of the most striking features of Sioux Falls is the cascading falls of the Big Sioux River. Sioux Falls is also home to over 80 parks, which includes a 19-mile paved path along the Big Sioux River that is popular with bikers, joggers, walkers and strollers. Another popular spot with residents is the Outdoor Campus which provides outdoor recreation opportunities including fishing, hiking and snowshoeing. Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy the skiing, tubing and snowboarding at Great Bear Recreation Park.Sioux Falls Climate
Sioux Falls has four seasons with generally hot and humid summers and cold, dry winters. Annual snowfall is around 45 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 10 and 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sioux Falls Economy
Sioux Falls’ economy has done generally well despite the pandemic and the city has grown rapidly. Some of the largest employers are in the financial services industry, along with healthcare, manufacturing and food processing. The largest employers are Sanford Health, Avera Health, the Sioux Falls School District, Smithfield Foods and Hy-Vee. A 640,000 square foot Amazon distribution facility is scheduled to open in 2022 as well. Construction continues to rise in Sioux Falls, with a 51% increase in building permits in 2021. Due to the lack of state income tax, Sioux Falls is a favorable location for new businesses. The median income in Sioux Falls is $58,730 and the cost of living in Sioux Falls is currently about 2% below the national average. Unemployment is also low at around a rate of 2.4%.
Curious about how far your paycheck will go in Sioux Falls? Use this handy Real Wage Calculator.
Education in Sioux Falls
Students are served by the Sioux Falls School District with 25 elementary schools, six middle schools and five high schools serving about 23,000 students. There are also private Catholic and Lutheran religious schools available. For higher education, students can choose from Augustana University, the University of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical College, National American University, the South Dakota Public Universities and Research Center, the South Dakota School for the Deaf and the University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine.

Sioux Falls Culture
There’s lots to see and do in Sioux Falls!
- Sioux Falls has a thriving downtown scene with a Sculpture Walk, “First Fridays,” the annual Downtown Riverfest and much more.
- The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science has two performing arts centers with a wide variety of musical theatre, plays, operas and symphonies.
- The Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum, the Butterfly House and Aquarium and the USS South Dakota Battleship memorial are other popular attractions.
- Sports lovers can enjoy several local teams including the Sioux Falls Canaries (baseball), Sioux Falls Stampede (hockey), Sioux Falls Skyforce (basketball), Sioux Falls Storm (football) and Sioux Falls Thunder (soccer). There’s even a local curling club!
- Sioux Falls is also an excellent destination for “foodies” with restaurants as diverse as CH Patisserie, run by Top Chef winner Chris Hanmer; Sanaa’s Gourmet, selected as one of the best vegan restaurants in all 50 states; and Jacky’s Restaurant with one of the best burritos in the United States.
- U.S. Sioux Falls is also home to several large annual events including the Sioux Empire State Fair, the LifeLight Festival, the Sidewalk Arts Festival, the free summer concert series at the Levitt at the Falls and SiouxperCon.






Accolades for Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls has won many accolades from the media including:
- GoodHire listed Sioux Falls as the #1 most affordable city to live in 2022.
- The New York Times ranked Sioux Falls one of the top places for new parents in 2021.
- Livability ranked Sioux Falls #20 in the top 100 best places to live in 2021.
- SmartAsset chose Sioux Falls as the #1 city for young professionals and the #6 best place to raise kids in 2021.
- In 2019 Sioux Falls was picked as one of the top 10 cities for entrepreneurs to start and grow a business.
- Forbes included Sioux Falls in both its 2020 list and 2021 list of best places to retire.
- Road Runners Club of America gave Sioux Falls the designation “Runner Friendly Community” for 2021-2026.
- Travel Mag called Sioux Falls one of the 30 most charming small cities in the U.S. in 2021.
- WalletHub included Sioux Falls at #11 in its list of the happiest cities in the U.S. in 2021.
- Falls Park is considered one of the 15 best city parks in America by Thrillist in 2021.
- Niche listed Sioux Falls as the #6 best city to buy a house in America in 2021.
- ZipRecruiter said Sioux Falls had the 3rd hottest job market in 2020.
- Money Magazine chose Sioux Falls as one of the 100 best places to live in 2019.
- Ranked #1 healthiest city by Best Life Online in 2017.
- Sioux Falls Top 10 Accolades
