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Watertown, South Dakota

city · Codington County

At a glance

23,044
Population
$229,400
Median home value (all homes)
24% below U.S. median
$316,022
Typical market value
Zillow, 2026-07
$942/mo
Median rent
30% below U.S. median
$69,600
Median household income
11% below U.S. median
12.6 min
Average commute
87.3%
Homes with broadband
26.8%
Locations with fiber available
1.8%
Unemployment

Cost of living (Clay Affordability Index)

CAI 88 — 12% below the national average. how it's computed

Housing7% below
Goods & services6% below
Utilities2% below
Taxes68% below
Insurance12% below
Commute cost55% below
For business: South Dakota is CBII band 2/5 · time to build band 1/5. See state page for the breakdown.

Living here

Colleges in town:
Lake Area Technical Institute 2-year
Nearest 4-year college43 mi
Nearest community college1 mi
Nearest technical college95 mi
High school graduates93.3%
College graduates21.6%

Doing business here

Economic development contacts, most local first:

city Watertown Development Company
The Watertown Development Company is a private non-profit economic development corporation responsible for the creation of jobs and overall economic opportunity in Watertown. It owns and operates buildings, lands, and development areas for the city's economic benefit.
state South Dakota Prairie Gateway
state South Dakota Rural Enterprise
Dakota Resources is an intermediary serving rural economic development organizations (EDOs), providing flexible financing, leadership coaching, collaborative networks, and real-time resources to strengthen EDOs and rural communities.
state South Dakota's Governor's Office of Eco Dev
GOED provides financing, research, networking, and other resources to help new and existing businesses flourish in South Dakota.
State sales taxYes
State income taxNone
Right-to-work stateYes

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