Facts-at-a-Glance

Points of Pride	Climate
Cost of Living	Geography
Population	Taxes

Points of Pride

The community-wide efforts in Sioux Falls to maintain one of the healthiest environments in the nation in which to live, work and raise a family are making headlines. The sample of accolades below reinforces the Sioux Falls area’s vitality as a regional and national leader in economic development, retail sales, health care, manufacturing, financial and business services and quality of life.

South Dakota placed well in Kiplinger’s annual tax survey, a snapshot of taxes around the country. The snapshot was of a family of four with an annual income of $90,000 (above the national average, but about the median of Kiplinger’s readers) and calculated the family’s total tax bill in each state and Washington, D.C. The most populated city and another city of approximately 50,000 were included. Sioux Falls placed 8th overall with a tax bill of $3,585. The top seven cities were Casper, Wyo. ; Cheyenne, Wyo. ; Houston, Texas ; Carson City, Nev. ; JacksonvillE, Fla. ; Memphis, Tenn. ; and Fort Myers, Fla. Rounding out the top 10 were Johnson City, Tenn. , and Las Vegas, Nev. Rapid City came in 11th place with a tax bill of $3,756 (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, July 2004).
For the second year in a row, Forbes’ annual survey of the Best Places for Business and Careers named Sioux Falls No. 1 overall in the Best Small City Category. The city rated No. 3 in the magazine’s Income Growth Index and No. 4 in the Cost of Doing Business Index (May 2004). In 2002, the magazine ranked Sioux Falls No. 5 overall.
CNN/Money Magazine reported unemployment figures for the top and bottom 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the U.S. , based on The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 2003 unemployment rates. Sioux Falls made the Top 20 list coming in at No. 9 with a 2.9 percent unemployment rate.
Business Week named Sioux Falls one of the “Dazzling Dozen” Pockets of Prosperity where the economy is still humming. The article states that while “growth remains healthy” in Sioux Falls and “the national economy is sputtering, other metropolitan areas also have tight labor markets and growing economies” (October 2002
South Dakota ranked No. 1 in the “Small Business Survival Index 2002,” a study compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Small Business Survival Committee. The study, which ties together 20 major government-imposed or government-related costs that affect small businesses, ranked South Dakota first in three tax-rate categories: personal income, capital gains and corporate (July 2002).
Sales & Marketing Management magazine, calling Sioux Falls a “diamond in the rough,” designated the city as a great smaller market for businesses to make a move. The magazine cited the community’s growth rates as a huge opportunity and recognized the state’s friendly tax laws (April 2002).
In Ladies’ Home Journal’s study of the 200 cities considered the best cities for women in 2002, Sioux Falls was named the third least stressed city. The magazine also scored Sioux Falls high for economy (No. 2), highest employment rates (No. 2), spiritual centers (No. 9), available jobs (No. 10) and lifestyle (No. 12) (April 2002).
Sioux Falls received an A+ on Zero Population Growth’s 2001 Kid-Friendly Cities Report Card. The city excelled in health, public safety, education, economics, environment and community life, ranking third out of 140 cities.
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) placed Sioux Falls No. 11 out of 25 metropolitan areas for software-related employment in 2000.

Climate:

Month	Avg. High Temp (°F)	Avg. Low Temp (°F)
January	24.3	3.3
February	29.4	9.7
March	42.3	22.6
April	59.0	34.8
May	70.7	45.9
June	80.5	56.1
July	80.3	62.3
August	83.3	59.4
September	73.1	48.7
October	61.2	36.0
November	33.0	22.3
December	28.0	8.6
Source: Sioux Falls Development Foundation, July 2004
Avg. Relative Humidity (noon)	62%
Avg. annual wind speed	11mp
Annual Precipitation	23.86 inches
Annual total snow and sleet	41 inches
Source: Sioux Falls Development Foundation, July 2004

Cost of Living:


Denver, CO	104.8	107.3	112.4	85.8	102.6	119.5	101.4
Des Moines, IA	94.9	89.9	96.3	99.5	94.7	97.5	94.2
Lincoln, NE	95.9	83.9	100.0	99.4	100.2	95.4	94.9
Minneapolis, MN	109.3	98.9	116.5	114.5	106.0	113.9	106.0
Missoula, MT	100.2	118.9	86.4	93.4	102.1	120.9	104.0
St. Cloud, MN	100.9	100.3	96.5	106.6	98.9	106.1	103.2
Sioux Falls, SD	95.2	95.2	83.1	120.1	97.7	94.4	98.6
Figures based on the US Avg. of 100 Source: ACCRA, Cost-of-Living Index for Urban Areas, third quarter 2004*

Geography:

Elevation	1422 feet
Land size	61.521square miles
Sioux Falls is located in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, near the borders of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Population:

Sioux Falls	141,000
Metropolitan Statistical Area*	210,000
Sioux Falls is located in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, near the borders of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Taxes:

State corporate income tax	none
Entertainment tax	1%
Includes lodging, alcohol and resturant services and event admissions. Funds are earmarked for the operation and debt service of the Sioux Falls Convention Center and Washington Pavillion.
Hotel/Motel tax	1%
Proceeds are used for the operation of the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau
Inventory Tax	none
Personal income tax	none
Property tax	Comercial Property: $23.852 per $1000 of assessed value. Owner Occupied: $17.322 per $1000 of assessed value.
Denotes 2004 real estate taxes payable in 2005. For those qualifying for the owner/occupied tax reduction program, property owners mmust own and occupy the residence at assessment date (November 1).
Sales & Use tax	5.92% (4% state, 1.92% city)
Includes gross receipts from rentals of lodging establishments and from retail sales of tangible personal property, public utility services, mechanical amusement devices and services and professions. Consumers pay an additional 1% tax on tourism-related activities to fund the state's Department of Tourism. Use Tax is collected on tangible personal property used or consumed in the state. South Dakota has a reciprocal statute on its sales and use taxes.
State Personal Income Tax	none