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Compare towns

Aberdeen vs Pierre

118 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+29% in Pierre) and household income (+21% in Pierre).

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Aberdeen, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 28,189 people
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Pierre, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 13,948 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $320 more a month in Pierre

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 →
Pierre$1,860/mo
Typical home $300K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.14% · or rent about $983/mo · Housing →

The difference: $320 a month, about $3,900 a year, between Pierre 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.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

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
AberdeenPierre
Snow a year43″37″
January low2°F9°F
July high85°F88°F
Growing season (days)139d148d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th60th
Outdoors & history
AberdeenPierre
Conserved land5.1%7%
Settled18801880
National Register places2332
Community
AberdeenPierre
Library hours a week61 hrs63 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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

118 miles apart

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

Aberdeen ↔ Pierre118 miles apart
Who commutes between them
151 Aberdeen residents work in Pierre (1.1% of its workers)
54 Pierre residents work in Aberdeen (0.8% 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.

AberdeenPierre
People
Population 28,189Highest 13,948Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.2%Highest SD: +8.9% +3.3%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 36.4±0.9Lowest 4% below SD 39.4±1.5Highest 4% above SD
Kids under 18 22.4%±1.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 22.9%±2.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Pierre and Aberdeen 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% 18.2%±2.3Highest SD: 18%
Pierre and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35%Lowest SD: 31.9% 39%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 3.8%±1.5Lowest SD: 5%
Aberdeen and Pierre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,405±$5kLowest 14% below SD $77,672±$7kHighest 3% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $217,300±$13kLowest 16% below SD $230,700±$14kHighest 10% below SD
Pierre and Aberdeen 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 $983±$90Highest 4% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,719Highest about the SD average $2,632Lowest 3% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.8%±6.3Highest SD: 39.8% 37.3%±9.6Lowest SD: 39.8%
Aberdeen and Pierre 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% 10.1%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 68.6%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD 1976Highest 4 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 13 minHighest 25% below SD
Work from home 5.4%±1.7Highest SD: 9.7% 4.2%±2.6Lowest SD: 9.7%
Aberdeen and Pierre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 66.5%Highest 65.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen Township (7%)Fort Pierre (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Pierre1% work in Aberdeen
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.1%Lowest 7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 12.1 miLowest 13.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.3Highest 53.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #20 of 34 in SD#14 of 34 in SD
School district SD SCH FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED · Aberdeen School District 06-1Pierre School District 32-2 · Pierre Indian Learning Center
High school in town Central High School - 01T F Riggs High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 17.2Lowest 17.7Highest
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.

Pierre neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pierre’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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.

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