Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Aberdeen vs Mitchell

122 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Aberdeen) and growth since 2010 (+6.5 pts in Aberdeen).

×
Aberdeen, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 28,189 people
×
Mitchell, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 15,649 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Aberdeen places higher on 15 of 22 SD lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every South Dakota ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Aberdeen$1,530/mo
Typical home $244K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.25% · or rent about $762/mo · Housing →
Mitchell$1,610/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $851/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $900 a year, between Mitchell and Aberdeen.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AberdeenMitchell
Snow a year43″41″
January low2°F9°F
July high85°F87°F
Growing season (days)139d167d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th46th
Outdoors & history
AberdeenMitchell
Trails12 mi3 mi
Conserved land5.1%2.2%
Settled1880—
National Register places2320
Community
AberdeenMitchell
Library hours a week61 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town12
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

122 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Aberdeen ↔ Mitchell122 miles apart
Who commutes between them
162 Aberdeen residents work in Mitchell (1.2% of its workers)
53 Mitchell residents work in Aberdeen (0.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Aberdeen →
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AberdeenMitchell
People
Population 28,189Highest 15,649Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.2%Highest SD: +8.9% +2.7%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 36.4±0.9Lowest 4% below SD 39.6±1.2Highest 4% above SD
Kids under 18 22.4%±1.8Highest SD: 24.2% 22.2%±2.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Aberdeen and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.4%±1.6Lowest SD: 18% 22.1%±2.4Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35%Highest SD: 31.9% 23.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 3.4%±0.9Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,405±$5kHighest 14% below SD $58,620±$7kLowest 22% below SD
Aberdeen and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $217,300±$13kHighest 16% below SD $192,200±$16kLowest 25% below SD
Aberdeen and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $762±$38Lowest 19% below SD $851±$73Highest 10% below SD
Mitchell and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,719Highest about the SD average $2,482Lowest 9% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.8%±6.3Highest SD: 39.8% 40.1%±10Lowest SD: 39.8%
Aberdeen and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.8%Highest SD: 11.9% 12.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 56.6%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972 8 yrs older than SD 1972 8 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 13 minHighest 28% below SD
Work from home 5.4%±1.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 8.1%±2.6Highest SD: 9.7%
Mitchell and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 66.5%Highest 60.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 mi 2.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.27Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen Township (7%)Sioux Falls (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Mitchell1% work in Aberdeen
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.1%Highest 2.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 12.1 miHighest 2.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.3Highest 62.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #20 of 34 in SD#5 of 34 in SD
School district SD SCH FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED · Aberdeen School District 06-1Mitchell School District 17-2
High school in town Central High School - 01Mitchell High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 17.2Highest 17.1Lowest
South Dakota average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Aberdeen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aberdeen’s Town Square.

Mitchell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mitchell’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Aberdeen and Mitchell

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Aberdeen

Towns like Aberdeen

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Aberdeen

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in