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Compare towns

Aberdeen vs Vermillion

201 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Aberdeen) and in college (+31.3 pts in Vermillion).

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Aberdeen, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 28,189 people
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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 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 part ways

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 $250 more a month in Vermillion

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 →
Vermillion$1,790/mo
Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,000 a year, between Vermillion 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

Aberdeen places higher on 12 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.

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
AberdeenVermillion
Snow a year43″36″
January low2°F—
July high85°F—
Growing season (days)139d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th46th
Outdoors & history
AberdeenVermillion
Trails12 mi3 mi
Conserved land5.1%3%
Settled18801859
National Register places2326
Community
AberdeenVermillion
Library hours a week61 hrs70 hrs
Colleges in town11
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

201 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Aberdeen ↔ Vermillion201 miles apart
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.

AberdeenVermillion
People
Population 28,189Highest 11,878Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.2%Lowest SD: +8.9% +10.6%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 36.4±0.9Highest 4% below SD 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD
Kids under 18 22.4%±1.8Highest SD: 24.2% 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 16.4%±1.6Highest SD: 18% 9.6%±1.7Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35%Lowest SD: 31.9% 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5% 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,405±$5kHighest 14% below SD $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $217,300±$13kLowest 16% below SD $219,000±$29kHighest 15% below SD
Vermillion 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 $764±$51Highest 19% below SD
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,719Lowest about the SD average $3,214Highest 18% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.8%±6.3Lowest SD: 39.8% 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.8%Lowest SD: 11.9% 24.4%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 42%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD 1978Highest 2 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 17 minHighest 5% below SD
Work from home 5.4%±1.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.4%±2.9Highest SD: 9.7%
Vermillion 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 47.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 mi 2.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12 1.12
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen Township (7%)Sioux Falls (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VermillionFew work in Aberdeen
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.1%Highest 3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 12.1 miHighest 2.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.3Highest 65.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #20 of 34 in SD#9 of 34 in SD
School district SD SCH FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED · Aberdeen School District 06-1Vermillion School District 13-1
High school in town Central High School - 01Vermillion High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 17.2Highest 15.0Lowest
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.

Vermillion neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Vermillion's Hidden Gems

1 neighbor in Vermillion can answer.

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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