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Compare towns

Bison vs Rosholt

278 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.7× in Rosholt) and jobs per worker (3.1× in Bison).

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Bison, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 406 people
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Rosholt, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 428 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 $480 more a month in Bison

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.

Bison$1,200/mo
Typical home $182K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.64% · or rent about $932/mo · Housing →
Rosholt$720/mo
Typical home $116K (Census) · tax rate 1.10% · or rent about $875/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,800 a year, between Bison and Rosholt.

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
BisonRosholt
Snow a year40″49″
January low10°F1°F
July high86°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d152d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th41st
Outdoors & history
BisonRosholt
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled1907—
National Register places1—
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here1—
Community
BisonRosholt
Library hours a week20 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

278 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bison ↔ Rosholt278 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.

BisonRosholt
People
Population 406Lowest 428Highest
Median age 43±8.3Lowest 13% above SD 46.8±12.8Highest 23% above SD
Rosholt and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.1%±6Highest SD: 24.2% 22.4%±4.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Bison and Rosholt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.9%±5.6Lowest SD: 18% 27.1%±3.8Highest SD: 18%
Rosholt and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 16.9%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±2.6Lowest SD: 5% 2.3%±1.5Highest SD: 5%
Rosholt and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $71,607±$25kHighest 5% below SD $64,861±$8kLowest 14% below SD
Bison and Rosholt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $82,000±$34kLowest 68% below SD $116,400±$19kHighest 55% below SD
Rosholt and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $932±$266Highest about the SD average $875±$107Lowest 8% below SD
Bison and Rosholt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,342Highest 51% below SD $1,283Lowest 53% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 28.3%±28.4Lowest SD: 39.8% 47.5%±21.7Highest SD: 39.8%
Rosholt and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.9%Lowest SD: 11.9% 13%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.5%Highest SD: 68.6% 73.8%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Lowest 17 yrs older than SD 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 11 minLowest 40% below SD 19 minHighest 9% above SD
Work from home 11%±12.2Highest SD: 9.7% 6.2%±4Lowest SD: 9.7%
Bison and Rosholt are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 18.4%Highest 8.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.3 miHighest 20.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.81Highest 0.59Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Lemmon (43%)Sisseton (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RosholtFew work in Bison
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 43.8Lowest 119Highest
Schools
School district Bison School District 52-1Rosholt School District 54-4
High school in town Bison High School - 01Rosholt High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 8.8Lowest 10.6Highest
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.

Bison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bison’s Town Square.

Rosholt neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rosholt’s Town Square.

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Bordering Bison

Towns like Bison

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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