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Compare towns

Baltic vs Parker

32 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+60% in Baltic) and jobs per worker (2.6× in Parker).

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Baltic, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,502 people
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Parker, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,280 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 $330 more a month in Baltic

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.

Baltic$2,360/mo
Typical home $377K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.22% · or rent about $1,232/mo · Housing →
Parker$2,030/mo
Typical home $342K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.84% · or rent about $971/mo · Housing →

The difference: $330 a month, about $3,900 a year, between Baltic and Parker.

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
BalticParker
Snow a year40″41″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd49th
Outdoors & history
BalticParker
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled—1883
National Register places—2
Archive photos—6
Community
BalticParker
Library hours a week13 hrs43 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.

Where they are

32 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Baltic ↔ Parker32 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.

BalticParker
People
Population 1,502Highest 1,280Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +14.4%Lowest SD: +8.9% +16.8%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 29.3±1.7Lowest 23% below SD 36.4±4.1Highest 4% below SD
Kids under 18 37.6%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2% 27.6%±3.6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 8.2%±1.8Lowest SD: 18% 14.3%±3.1Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.7%Highest SD: 31.9% 19.9%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±1.9Lowest SD: 5% 5.2%±4.1Highest SD: 5%
Parker and Baltic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $107,768±$12kHighest 44% above SD $89,676±$13kLowest 19% above SD
Baltic and Parker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $254,200±$24kHighest about the SD average $231,100±$51kLowest 10% below SD
Baltic and Parker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,232±$748Highest 30% above SD $971±$285Lowest about the SD average
Baltic and Parker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,111Highest 14% above SD $1,941Lowest 29% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 7.6%±19.8Lowest SD: 39.8% 36.6%±18.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Parker and Baltic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.2%Lowest SD: 11.9% 11.1%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.1%Highest SD: 68.6% 78.6%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1997Highest 17 yrs newer than SD 1973Lowest 7 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 25% above SD 25 minHighest 40% above SD
Work from home 7%±2.8Highest SD: 9.7% 2.8%±2.3Lowest SD: 9.7%
Baltic and Parker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Lowest 7.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.24Lowest 0.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (55%)Sioux Falls (43%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ParkerFew work in Baltic
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 73.3Lowest 90.3Highest
Schools
School district Baltic School District 49-1Parker School District 60-4
High school in town Baltic High School - 01Parker High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 14.1Highest 13.7Lowest
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.

Baltic neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Baltic’s Town Square.

Parker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parker’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Baltic and Parker

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

Bordering Baltic

Towns like Baltic

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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