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Compare towns

Aurora vs Hill City

342 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+104.8 pts in Aurora) and jobs per worker (11.3× in Hill City).

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Aurora, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,444 people
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Hill City, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 834 people
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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.

AuroraOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 77%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Aurora →
Hill CityA regional job hub
Work555 jobsbased in Hill City, a regional job hub Housing$477K typical home48% above the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18764 places on the National Register All about Hill City →
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.

Growth since 2010+104.8 pts
Aurora has grown faster since 2010
Aurora +96.8%Hill City -8%
Jobs per worker11.3×
Hill City is more of a job hub
Hill City 1.80Aurora 0.16
Rent+60%
Rent runs higher in Hill City
Hill City $1,345Aurora $840
Seasonal homes+18.8 pts
Hill City has more second homes
Hill City 18.8%Aurora 0%
Average commute8 min
Aurora has the shorter commute
Hill City 25 minAurora 17 min
Work in town+14.1 pts
More of Hill City’s workers stay in town
Hill City 15.2%Aurora 1.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,060 more a month in Hill City

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.

Aurora$1,930/mo
Typical home $307K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.26% · or rent about $840/mo · Housing →
Hill City$3,000/mo
Typical home $477K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.24% · or rent about $1,345/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,060 a month, about $12,700 a year, between Hill City and Aurora.

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

Hill City gets 31 more inches of snow a year

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
AuroraHill City
Snow a year36″67″
January low4°F10°F
July high81°F83°F
Growing season (days)145d102d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th86th
Outdoors & history
AuroraHill City
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%9.2%
Settled—1876
National Register places—4
Community
AuroraHill City
Library hours a week—48 hrs
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.

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.

Schools
–AuroraNot graded B−Hill CityBetter than 49% of districts in the state
Health
A−AuroraHealthier than 77% of U.S. towns –Hill CityNot graded
Where they are

342 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AuroraSDHill CitySD
Aurora ↔ Hill City342 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.

AuroraHill City
People
Population 1,444Highest 834Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +96.8%Highest SD: +8.9% -8%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 29±2.4Lowest 24% below SD 34.2±12.1Highest 10% below SD
Hill City and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.1%±5.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 32%±4.9Highest SD: 24.2%
Hill City and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 5.5%±1.8Lowest SD: 18% 11.4%±5.1Highest SD: 18%
Hill City and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 42.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 34.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 12.6%±10.1Highest SD: 5% 1%±1Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,952±$9kHighest 28% above SD $95,385±$14kLowest 27% above SD
Aurora and Hill City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $234,600±$17kLowest 9% below SD $286,200±$38kHighest 11% above SD
Hill City and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $840±$192Lowest 11% below SD $1,345±$293Highest 42% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,951Lowest 8% above SD $3,544Highest 30% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.7%±19.9Highest SD: 39.8% 14.1%±24.4Lowest SD: 39.8%
Aurora and Hill City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 2.6%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75%Highest SD: 68.6% 73.9%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2010Highest 30 yrs newer than SD 1993Lowest 13 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 7% below SD 25 minHighest 38% above SD
Work from home 11.4%±5.3Highest SD: 9.7% 8.4%±7.4Lowest SD: 9.7%
Aurora and Hill City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.1%Lowest 15.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miLowest 19.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Lowest 1.80Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (55%)Rapid City (39%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Hill CityFew work in Aurora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 9.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.8Highest 48.0Lowest
Schools
School district —Hill City School District 51-2
High school in town —Hill City High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.1
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.

Aurora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora’s Town Square.

Hill City neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hill City’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Aurora and Hill City

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Bordering Aurora

A
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Aurora Township134 people · $285K homes
T
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Trenton Township249 people

Towns like Aurora

G
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Groton1,691 people · $191K homes
M
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Medary Township1,452 people · $312K homes
C
+ Compare
Colman948 people · $236K homes
S
+ Compare
Summerset3,022 people · $368K homes

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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