The Town Files

Wanblee, South Dakota

Community in Jackson County · population 674 (2020 Census)

Map: where Wanblee is in South DakotaWanblee
Jan low / Jul high
14° / 88°
Snow a year
38 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
6
Median age
27.0

Wanblee is a community of 674 people in Jackson County, South Dakota. It ranks better for young professionals than 94% of South Dakota towns, more of a college town than 92% of South Dakota towns, better for first-time buyers than 83% of South Dakota towns.

How Wanblee 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.

Wanblee lifestyle rankings vs other South Dakota townsRetirement25th pctFamilies41st pctQuiet8th pctWalkability6th pctFirst-time buyers83rd pctYoung professionals94th pctVibrancy12th pctHip & trendy1st pctCollege town92nd pctUpscale27th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransitbottomDriving2nd pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $399 a month. 25.4% of households own their home.

Wanblee vs Jackson County vs typical South Dakota townWanbleeJackson CountyTypical South Dakota townMonthly rent$399$442$785
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of South Dakota towns with 500+ people.
HousingWanbleeTypical South Dakota town
Median home value—$182,100
Median rent$399$785
Median household income—$66,086
Home value ÷ income—×2.7×
Homeownership25.4%71.0%
Median year built19781973
Seasonal / vacation homes2.9%—

Who lives in Wanblee

PeopleWanbleeTypical South Dakota town
Median age27.039.5
Age 65 and over0.7%19.4%
Under 1845.1%—
Bachelor's degree or higher7.9%23.6%
Below the poverty line53.4%10.1%
Veterans0.0%—
Born outside the U.S.0.0%—
Work from home0.0%5.7%
Average commute— min17.4 min
Homes with broadband37.7%86.7%

Weather in Wanblee

July highs average 88.3°F and January lows 14.1°F. About 21.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 38.0 inches of snow (typical South Dakota town: 39.8 in). Expect about 40 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 157 nights at or below freezing.

Wanblee monthly temperatures and precipitation10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°32° freezing37°14°Jan40°16°Feb50°25°Mar60°33°Apr70°44°May81°54°Jun88°61°Jul88°59°Aug79°49°Sep63°36°Oct49°25°Nov39°17°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue0.55.50.76.41.55.92.56.43.80.53.12.71.81.51.81.90.63.70.67.7
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Longvalley station (11.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wanblee since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical South Dakota town. The strongest, an F1, struck on July 10, 1969 about 4.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 6, 2007.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Wanblee by decade01950s11960s11970s01980s11990s32000s02010s02020s
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 25 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on July 3, 1965.

Severe weather in Jackson County since 1996

Storm events in Jackson County since 1996 by typeHail276Flood21Tornado8Blizzard27High Wind102Heavy Snow9Flash Flood10Winter Storm54
NOAA Storm Events Database, Jackson County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Jackson County has been included in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, snowstorm.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
August 15, 2024FloodDR-4807: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
February 27, 2023Winter StormDR-4689: Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm
August 2, 2022Severe StormDR-4664: Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 5, 2020BiologicalDR-4527: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3475: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Jackson County

Jackson County had 691 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $41,313 a year. Unemployment was 3.2% in 2023; in Wanblee itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

Largest industries in Jackson CountyRetail104 jobs · $23,905Construction25 jobs · $35,388Wholesale trade18 jobs · $70,669Finance & insurance14 jobs · $61,615Other services11 jobs · $35,546Professional & technical serv…4 jobs · $39,022
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Jackson County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%2000200420082012201620202023Jackson 3.2%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Wanblee

Wanblee questions

Is Wanblee, South Dakota a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Wanblee scores better for retirees than 25% of South Dakota towns and quieter than 8%. 0.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 27.0).

What is the weather like in Wanblee?

July highs average 88.3°F and January lows 14.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 21.0 inches of precipitation a year and 38.0 inches of snow.

Does Wanblee get tornadoes?

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wanblee since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on July 10, 1969. The typical South Dakota town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Wanblee's Census boundary (GEOID 4668580). 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.