Warm-summer humid continental
Lead, South Dakota
Lawrence County, South Dakota · Population 3k · 5,157 ft elevation
Living in Lead
Lead has a warm-summer humid continental climate: hot summers (July highs around 82°F) and cold winters (January lows around 18°F).
Precipitation is moderate at about 32″ a year, and it is buried in snow every winter (184″ a season).
Skies are sunny (67% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 45 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
Lead is an outdoor hub: about 39% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,700 ft around town.
Lead at a glance
- Population
- 3k
- Elevation
- 5,157 ft
- Average daily high
- 58°F10th percentile
- Average daily low
- 35°F5th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 32″20th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 184″100th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,005 hrs67th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4570th percentile
- Median home value
- $193k32th percentile
- Median rent
- $844/mo18th percentile
- Median household income
- $57k26th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.95%48th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 0.0%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 6.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 0.0%
- Homes with broadband
- 76%4th percentile
- Average commute
- 22 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 35%32th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 55%
- Violent crime rate
- 66 per 100k20th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 622 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 4911th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9796th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 57%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 39%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,740 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°F | 18°F | 1.5″ | 24.8″ | 184 hrs |
| Feb | 39°F | 18°F | 1.8″ | 26.2″ | 190 hrs |
| Mar | 47°F | 25°F | 2.2″ | 27.6″ | 228 hrs |
| Apr | 54°F | 31°F | 3.5″ | 29.0″ | 234 hrs |
| May | 63°F | 41°F | 4.9″ | 6.7″ | 278 hrs |
| Jun | 74°F | 50°F | 3.8″ | 0.9″ | 330 hrs |
| Jul | 82°F | 57°F | 3.1″ | — | 374 hrs |
| Aug | 81°F | 55°F | 2.3″ | — | 343 hrs |
| Sep | 72°F | 47°F | 2.0″ | 1.8″ | 277 hrs |
| Oct | 57°F | 35°F | 3.3″ | 19.3″ | 218 hrs |
| Nov | 46°F | 25°F | 1.7″ | 22.3″ | 184 hrs |
| Dec | 38°F | 18°F | 1.5″ | 25.3″ | 167 hrs |
Near Lead
- Spearfish, SD · 13k
- Sturgis, SD · 7.1k
- Belle Fourche, SD · 5.7k
- Summerset, SD · 3k
- Blackhawk, SD · 2.8k
- Rapid City, SD · 77k
- Rapid Valley, SD · 7.2k
- Box Elder, SD · 12k
Largest places in South Dakota
- Sioux Falls, SD · 198k
- Aberdeen, SD · 28k
- Brookings, SD · 24k
- Watertown, SD · 23k
- Mitchell, SD · 16k
- Yankton, SD · 16k
- Huron, SD · 14k
- Pierre, SD · 14k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology