Living in Highmore, SD
Hyde County
Highmore is a real, genuinely small central South Dakota town, the actual county seat of Hyde County (South Dakota's second-least-populous county), sitting on US Highway 14 roughly 48 miles east of Pierre, the state capital. Highmore's population ran approximately 627 as of a 2026 projection -- down from 669 at the 2020 Census, a real, disclosed cumulative decline of approximately -6.28%. Highmore's housing runs genuinely affordable relative to South Dakota's own statewide average: a median home value of approximately $170,790, far below the state's $319,894 average. Hyde County's own effective property tax rate anchors modestly below both the national and South Dakota statewide medians on its best-sourced figure (0.96%), though a real, disclosed alternate county figure runs meaningfully higher -- a genuine cross-source spread this record discloses honestly. Highmore's economy centers on Hyde County's real, defining wheat, corn, soybean, sunflower, and cattle agricultural base, layered with a real, disclosed presence in one of South Dakota's largest wind-energy development areas. South Dakota's statewide tax structure -- no state income tax, a time-limited 4.2% state sales tax -- applies here as it does statewide.
Explore Highmore in depth
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreHousing
Highmore's own estimated median house/condo value ran approximately $170,790 as of a 2024 estimate -- no dedicated Ownwell trends page was found for Highmore specifically this pass, a real, disclosed data gap.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Hyde County level this session. South Dakota carries no income tax statewide. See the South Dakota hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Highmore-specific.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely affordable home values ($170,790 median) relative to South Dakota's own $319,894 statewide average; a real county-level property tax rate that anchors modestly below both national and state medians on its best-sourced figure; South Dakota's real lack of a state income tax; a real, disclosed local wind-energy development presence alongside traditional agriculture; genuine small-town, county-seat civic infrastructure including the historic 1911 Hyde County Courthouse.
Cons
A real, disclosed sustained population decline (-1.1%/year, -6.28% since the 2020 Census); a real, disclosed cross-source spread in Hyde County's own property tax rate this record does not resolve to one confident number; no dedicated Ownwell trends page or confirmed, current named-employer list was found for Highmore specifically this pass; a very small, car-dependent town with limited local services.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits budget-conscious movers prioritizing low home values and interested in a genuine central-South-Dakota agricultural county-seat setting, comfortable with a small, car-dependent, declining town and needing to confirm current employer and job-market data directly.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who need a growing population, a large local job market, or a fully resolved single property-tax figure -- Highmore's own population is in real, documented decline and Hyde County's property tax data carries a genuine, disclosed cross-source spread this record does not paper over.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert