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Quality of Life in Grant County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
40% below national average
144%
The Real Cost of Living in Grant County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $11k | $20k |
| Comfortable | $35k | $51k |
| Luxury | $123k+ | $190k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $144k+ | $224k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Grant County, South Dakota offers a spectrum of living environments that range from a full-service county seat to tiny agricultural hamlets and lakefront recreation communities. The county's character is defined by its agricultural roots, the recreational draw of Big Stone Lake, and a cost of living that sits 40 percent below the national average (COL index 60). People are drawn to different parts of the county depending on whether they prioritize job access and schools, lakefront leisure, or quiet rural privacy.
Largest town(s) & population centers
Milbank, the county seat and largest town with roughly 3,200 residents, serves as the commercial and civic hub of Grant County. Daily life here centers around the school system, a regional hospital, and major employers such as the 3M manufacturing plant and the Valley Queen Cheese factory. Milbank offers grocery stores, a hardware store, restaurants, a public library, and a small airport. The town's compact layout makes errands walkable for many, and the average commute across the county is just 15 minutes, so even residents living outside Milbank can reach its services quickly. Big Stone City, situated on the southern shore of Big Stone Lake, is the county's second notable population center with about 500 year-round residents. Life here revolves around the lake: boating, fishing, and seasonal tourism. The town has a marina, a few restaurants, and a state park nearby, attracting retirees and second-home owners who want water access without leaving the county.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Beyond the two main towns, Grant County contains several unincorporated communities and small villages that anchor rural life. Revillo (population ~120) sits in the county's southeast corner and consists of a grain elevator, a church, and a handful of homes — a classic farming crossroads. Stockholm (population ~100) lies near the lake and has a small park and a post office, serving as a quiet bedroom community for Milbank and Big Stone City. Twin Brooks (population ~60) is a rural hamlet with a few houses and a township hall. La Bolt (population ~70) and Marvin (population ~30) are even smaller, each comprising a cluster of homes and farmsteads with no commercial services. The unincorporated area of Albee marks another historic rural pocket. These places offer the lowest housing costs and maximum privacy, but residents must drive 10–20 minutes to Milbank for groceries, fuel, or medical care.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost of living in Grant County varies noticeably across its geography, though all areas remain well below national averages. The countywide median home value is $179,400 and median rent is $668. At the higher end, lakefront properties in Big Stone City can exceed $300,000, while newer homes in Milbank typically sell in the $200,000–$250,000 range. At the lower end, older farmhouses in Revillo, Twin Brooks, or La Bolt can be found for under $100,000, and rental options in these hamlets are scarce but very cheap when available. The lifestyle range is equally broad: Milbank offers schools, a hospital, and a modest social calendar (parades, sports, community events); Big Stone City provides a resort-like atmosphere with seasonal festivals and water recreation; the smaller towns and rural pockets offer solitude, large lots, and a slower pace where neighbors know each other but amenities are a drive away. The 15-minute average commute means that even residents in the most remote corners can reach Milbank or Big Stone City in under 20 minutes, blurring the line between rural and town life.
Grant County works best for people who value low costs, short commutes, and a choice between small-town convenience and genuine rural isolation. Families with children typically settle in Milbank for the schools and activities. Retirees and outdoor enthusiasts gravitate toward Big Stone City for the lake lifestyle. Farmers, remote workers, and those seeking maximum land for minimum money find the hamlets and open countryside ideal. The county's compact geography ensures that no matter which pocket you choose, the rest of the county is never far away.
Crime in Grant County
Generally safer than 61% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Grant County, South Dakota, presents a generally safe environment for residents, with crime rates that fall below both state and national averages for most categories. The county's violent crime rate of 293.3 per 100,000 residents is notably lower than the national average of approximately 380 per 100,000, while its property crime rate of 1,280.6 per 100,000 sits well under the U.S. figure of roughly 1,954 per 100,000. This favorable picture is reinforced by a conservative judicial philosophy in the 5th Judicial Circuit, which includes Grant County, where elected officials prioritize public safety and victim rights over progressive sentencing experiments that have driven crime upward in larger metropolitan areas.
Crime in context
When compared directly to South Dakota's statewide averages, Grant County performs better across the board. The state's violent crime rate in 2023 was approximately 348.9 per 100,000, meaning Grant County's 293.3 rate is about 16% lower. Property crime in the county (1,280.6 per 100,000) also undercuts the state average of roughly 1,450 per 100,000. These numbers place Grant County among the safer rural counties in eastern South Dakota, especially when contrasted with the higher crime rates seen in larger cities like Sioux Falls or Rapid City, where progressive district attorneys have adopted catch-and-release policies and reduced penalties for property offenses. In Grant County, the state's attorney's office maintains a traditional law-and-order approach, focusing on accountability and victim restitution, which helps keep recidivism low and public confidence high.
What residents experience
Daily life in Grant County is marked by a strong sense of security, particularly in its smaller communities. The county seat, Milbank, is the largest town (population roughly 3,500) and experiences the bulk of reported crime, yet most incidents involve minor property theft, vehicle break-ins, or occasional vandalism rather than violent confrontations. In Big Stone City, a lakeside community of about 600, crime is almost nonexistent, with residents often leaving doors unlocked. Revillo and Stockholm, each with fewer than 200 residents, report only a handful of calls per year, typically for domestic disturbances or alcohol-related disorder. Violent crime—such as aggravated assault or robbery—is rare and almost always involves individuals who know each other, posing little random threat to the general public. The county's low population density and strong social ties act as natural deterrents, and the sheriff's department maintains a visible presence through regular patrols and community engagement.
Neighborhood-level variation in Grant County is minimal but worth noting. The most significant difference is between the town of Milbank
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-05-15T02:08:48.000Z
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