Health care · Small-town market · South Dakota
Medical and dental practices in the Watertown, SD area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for medical and dental practices in the Watertown, SD area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #314 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota
- Listings
- 104
- 11 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- +16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16.7M
- On medical and dental services · $1,333 a household
- Spending per listing
- $161K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 83.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,562
- +4.3% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Watertown area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Watertown area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $1,333 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in the Watertown area spend about $16.7M a year on medical and dental services. That is about $161K of household spending for each practice on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $152K.
The Watertown area has 104 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 83.0, 2% below the U.S. rate of 84.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Watertown area was 58 in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 216 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Official counts list 27 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.1M has gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Watertown area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Watertown area grew 4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices in the Watertown area is 46 (lower middle), #314 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota.
How the Watertown area compares
The same measures for South Dakota and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Watertown area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 83.0 | 74.6 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $161K | $188K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 216 | 312 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.0% | +12.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,333 | $1,402 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $72,727 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 77 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 58+16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 522
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10411 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 110The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Watertown area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Watertown area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,562+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,526
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 688 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $72,727
- Average household income
- $90,805
- Median home value
- $237,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,302
- Daytime population
- 29,337Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Watertown area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Dakota for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with the Watertown area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huron, SD | 86 | 33 | 43.8 | $302K | +2.4% | #8 of 538 |
| 2Vermillion, SD | 72 | 25 | 45.1 | $284K | +0.2% | #68 of 538 |
| 3Brookings, SD | 71 | 88 | 63.8 | $214K | +9.6% | #82 of 538 |
| 4Mitchell, SD | 58 | 64 | 58.3 | $228K | +0.6% | #184 of 538 |
| 5Yankton, SD | 49 | 100 | 103.1 | $132K | +1.5% | #283 of 538 |
| 6Watertown, SD | 46 | 104 | 83.0 | $161K | +4.3% | #314 of 538 |
| 7Spearfish, SD | 46 | 132 | 109.5 | $125K | +14.0% | #319 of 538 |
| 8Pierre, SD | 45 | 74 | 86.6 | $167K | −0.5% | #328 of 538 |
| 9Aberdeen, SD | 42 | 143 | 79.8 | $173K | −1.5% | #347 of 538 |
Other business types in the Watertown area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics46
- Dentists and orthodontists36
- Primary care and pediatrics79
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors35
- Physical therapy66
- Optometrists and eye care33
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Watertown, SD area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 104 medical and dental practices in the Watertown area. 11 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Watertown, SD area spend on medical and dental services?
About $16.7M a year, or $1,333 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 104 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $161K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,526 households in the Watertown area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown, SD area compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
The Watertown area has 83.0 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $161K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Watertown area would have about 110, against 104 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 216 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown, SD area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown area at 29,562 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,526 households. The median household income in the Watertown area is $72,727 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Watertown area scores 46 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #314 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Watertown area. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in the Watertown area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Watertown area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.