Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Sioux Falls, SD?

Comfortably affordable — rent takes 23.4% of gross income.

Sioux Falls rent: June 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (South Dakota state estimate).

Sioux Falls median rent
$1,327/mo
Police Officer salary (South Dakota)
$67,998/yr
Rent as % of income
23.4%
Gross monthly income works out to about $5,667, and the 30% rule supports up to $1,700/mo in rent. Sioux Falls's median rent of $1,327 leaves roughly $373/mo of headroom under that threshold. A police officer works roughly 40.6 hours a month to cover that rent.

About rent and a police officer salary

The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.

Cheaper rent nearby

These South Dakota cities have lower median rent than Sioux Falls, which improves the affordability math on a police officer salary:

Brookings, SD
$1,317/mo (23.2% of income)
Box Elder, SD
$1,313/mo (23.2% of income)
Tea, SD
$1,309/mo (23.1% of income)

Compare with full rent data for Sioux Falls

View full rent data for Sioux Falls, SD

Frequently asked questions

Can a police officer afford rent in Sioux Falls, SD?

Median rent in Sioux Falls is $1,327 a month. A typical police officer in South Dakota earns about $67,998 a year, which makes that rent 23.4% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.

How much rent can a police officer afford in Sioux Falls?

Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in South Dakota (~$67,998/yr) supports up to $1,700 a month in rent. Sioux Falls's current median rent is $1,327/mo, which leaves a $373/mo buffer.

How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Sioux Falls?

At an hourly equivalent of about $33 an hour, a police officer in South Dakota works roughly 40.6 hours a month to cover Sioux Falls's median rent of $1,327.

Where is rent cheaper than Sioux Falls for a police officer?

Nearby South Dakota cities with lower median rent include Brookings ($1,317/mo), Box Elder ($1,313/mo), Tea ($1,309/mo). Each shifts the affordability math materially on a police officer salary.

Methodology: Salary uses the BLS-derived South Dakota state estimate from OEWS May 2024. Rent is the most recent ZORI monthly value for Sioux Falls, SD. Affordability applies the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income). Real take-home varies with taxes, household composition, overtime, tips, and benefits.