PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Sioux Falls, SD-MN

64.0
Life Score / 100
A
Grade (curved)
#18
of 387 metros
95%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Sioux Falls ranks #18 of 387 US metros, ahead of 95% - carried by its rent (95/100) and held back most by schools (18/100).

95
strongest: Rent
94
then: Childcare
18
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Sioux Falls sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

64 Top 5% higher than 95% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Below this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). This entry sits in this band. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Sioux Falls Life Score

Sioux Falls's composite score of 64.0 out of 100, a grade of A, places the metro at rank #18 of 387, ahead of 95% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (95/100) and Childcare (94/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (18/100) and Wages (44/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 90.6 (rent-RPP 77.6). BLS median salary $63,923, 169,190 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $973/mo (studio $727).

FBI UCR (SD): 320 violent, 1535 property/100K. NCES: 13.6:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,595/yr. EPA: 4 Superfund sites (SD). Ranks #15-#21 below.

Dimension detail

How Sioux Falls scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 72/100 (20%)
Wages 44/100 (20%)
Rent 95/100 (15%)
Safety 48/100 (15%)
Schools 18/100 (10%)
Childcare 94/100 (10%)
Environment 84/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,923
Avg Median Salary
$973
2BR Fair Market Rent
320
Violent Crime/100K (SD)
13.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,595
Infant Childcare/yr (SD)
4
Superfund Sites (SD)
169,190
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Sioux Falls With...

Sioux Falls vs Sioux City Compare → Sioux Falls vs Rapid City Compare → Sioux Falls vs Wildwood Compare → Sioux Falls vs Waterloo Compare → Sioux Falls vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Sioux Falls outranks 95% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#15 Cedar Rapids, IA 64.2 A
#16 Spartanburg, SC 64.4 A
#17 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 65.2 A
#18 Sioux Falls, SD-MN 64.0 A
#19 Peoria, IL 63.9 A
#20 Dubuque, IA 63.5 A
#21 Mankato, MN 63.5 A

SD Metro Scores

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD A+ 66.7 Rapid City, SD B+ 57.2

Using Sioux Falls's Life Score

Sioux Falls is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is rent (95/100) and its weakest is schools (18/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Sioux Falls head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Sioux Falls lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Sioux Falls's biggest strengths? ▼
Sioux Falls's strongest dimensions are Rent (95/100), Childcare (94/100), Environment (84/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Sioux Falls's weakest areas? ▼
Sioux Falls's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (18/100), Wages (44/100), Safety (48/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Sioux Falls compared to the national average? ▼
Sioux Falls's Regional Price Parity is 90.6 (9.4% less than national); rent RPP 77.6.
What is the average salary in Sioux Falls? ▼
Sioux Falls median salary: $63,923, 169,190 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Sioux Falls's 64.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.