The Town Files

Parmelee, South Dakota

Community in Todd County · population 606 (2020 Census)

Map: where Parmelee is in South DakotaParmelee
Jan low / Jul high
12° / 87°
Snow a year
43 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
10
Median age
17.2

Parmelee is a community of 606 people in Todd County, South Dakota. It ranks better for young professionals than 90% of South Dakota towns.

How Parmelee ranks

Percentile among South Dakota towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of South Dakota towns.

Parmelee lifestyle rankings vs other South Dakota townsRetirement26th pctFamilies13th pctQuiet20th pctWalkability7th pctFirst-time buyers48th pctYoung professionals90th pctVibrancy38th pctHip & trendy37th pctCollege town50th pctUpscale15th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransit64th pctDriving24th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $434 a month. 0.0% of households own their home.

Parmelee vs Todd County vs typical South Dakota townParmeleeTodd CountyTypical South Dakota townMonthly rent$434$532$785
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of South Dakota towns with 500+ people.
HousingParmeleeTypical South Dakota town
Median home value—$182,100
Median rent$434$785
Median household income—$66,086
Home value ÷ income—×2.7×
Homeownership0.0%71.0%
Median year built19761973
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Parmelee

PeopleParmeleeTypical South Dakota town
Median age17.239.5
Age 65 and over0.0%19.4%
Under 1852.9%—
Bachelor's degree or higher9.3%23.6%
Below the poverty line84.9%10.1%
Veterans6.9%—
Born outside the U.S.0.0%—
Work from home0.0%5.7%
Average commute14.3 min17.4 min
Homes with broadband66.9%86.7%

Weather in Parmelee

July highs average 86.8°F and January lows 12.0°F. About 21.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 43.2 inches of snow (typical South Dakota town: 39.8 in). Expect about 32 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 171 nights at or below freezing.

Parmelee monthly temperatures and precipitation10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°32° freezing35°12°Jan38°14°Feb50°23°Mar59°32°Apr69°43°May79°54°Jun87°60°Jul86°58°Aug78°49°Sep62°35°Oct48°22°Nov37°13°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue0.57.00.77.71.37.22.86.13.70.24.02.12.01.61.82.00.86.80.66.2
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Harrington station (15.9 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

10 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Parmelee since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical South Dakota town. The strongest, an F1, struck on September 15, 1962 about 1.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 20, 2025.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Parmelee by decade01950s21960s01970s21980s21990s32000s02010s12020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 43 times; the largest was 4.50 inches on August 26, 2020.

Severe weather in Todd County since 1996

Storm events in Todd County since 1996 by typeHail236Flood6Tornado18Blizzard27High Wind79Heavy Snow7Flash Flood10Winter Storm50
NOAA Storm Events Database, Todd County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 5 deaths recorded.

Todd County has been included in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, snowstorm.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
February 27, 2023Winter StormDR-4689: Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm
April 5, 2020BiologicalDR-4527: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3475: Covid-19
September 23, 2019FloodDR-4463: Severe Storms And Flooding
June 7, 2019FloodDR-4440: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Todd County

Todd County had 2,946 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $49,365 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in 2023; in Parmelee itself the ACS puts it at 12.5%.

Largest industries in Todd CountyRetail231 jobs · $26,962Other services88 jobs · $41,621Wholesale trade24 jobs · $34,672
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Todd County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023Todd 3.4%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Parmelee

1 public school with 200 students, about 18.2 students per teacher.

SchoolGradesStudentsPer teacher
He Dog Elementary - 05K-820018.2

Towns near Parmelee

Parmelee questions

Is Parmelee, South Dakota a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Parmelee scores better for retirees than 26% of South Dakota towns and quieter than 20%. 0.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 17.2).

What is the weather like in Parmelee?

July highs average 86.8°F and January lows 12.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 21.9 inches of precipitation a year and 43.2 inches of snow.

Does Parmelee get tornadoes?

10 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Parmelee since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on September 15, 1962. The typical South Dakota town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Parmelee's Census boundary (GEOID 4648500). Comparisons use the median of South Dakota towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.