# Mellette, South Dakota — #907 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.66 of 10. FIPS 46095. Population 1,851. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 1,900 people live in Mellette, South Dakota. It ranks #907 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #56 of 66 in South Dakota. The combined sales tax is 4.2%, lower than in 92% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.62% of a home's value each year, less than in 63% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 90% of counties. Life expectancy is 70 years or less, shorter than in 94% of counties. Air quality is better than in 95% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 25), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 94% of counties. On this site's state scores, South Dakota gets 8.18 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 8.18 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 7.47 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 5.91 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.71 | est |
| Sales tax | county | 6.18 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.90 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 9.19 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 0.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 0.78 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 0.16 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #987 Lyman, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46085.md
- #92 Tripp, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46123.md
- #145 Jones, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46075.md
- #2209 Todd, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46121.md
- #955 Jackson, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46071.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/46095
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=46095
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy