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Compare towns

Bowdle vs Irene

205 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (26 min in Bowdle) and work in town (+13.4 pts in Bowdle).

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Bowdle, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 475 people
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Irene, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 456 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.

BowdleA history town
HistorySettled in 18861 place on the National Register All about Bowdle →
IreneKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 18%of SD districts All about Irene →
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.

Average commute26 min
Bowdle has the shorter commute
Irene 35 minBowdle 9 min
Work in town+13.4 pts
More of Bowdle’s workers stay in town
Bowdle 13.9%Irene 0.5%
Typical home built20 yrs
Irene’s homes are older
Bowdle 1965Irene 1945
Jobs per worker+64%
Bowdle is more of a job hub
Bowdle 1.31Irene 0.80
Homeowners+9.8 pts renters
Bowdle has more renters
Irene 69.4%Bowdle 59.6%
Bachelor’s degree++9.8 pts
More adults in Bowdle have a degree
Bowdle 26%Irene 16.2%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,160 more a month in Irene

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.

Bowdle$690/mo
Typical home $113K (Census) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $783/mo · Housing →
Irene$1,860/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $756/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,160 a month, about $13,900 a year, between Irene and Bowdle.

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.

Schools
B−BowdleBetter than 53% of districts in the state C−IreneBetter than 18% of districts in the state
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
BowdleIrene
Snow a year47″31″
January low3°F7°F
July high83°F84°F
Growing season (days)148d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)25th46th
Outdoors & history
BowdleIrene
Settled18861895
National Register places11
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here2—
Community
BowdleIrene
Library hours a week30 hrs36 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

205 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BowdleSDIreneSD
Bowdle ↔ Irene205 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.

BowdleIrene
People
Population 475Highest 456Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.4% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 39.1±4.1Highest about the SD average 38.2±8.3Lowest about the SD average
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.6%±7.2Highest SD: 24.2% 16.4%±6.7Lowest SD: 24.2%
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.2%±4.4Highest SD: 18% 23.9%±10.2Lowest SD: 18%
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26%Highest SD: 31.9% 16.2%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.7%±2.6Highest SD: 5% 0.4%±2.4Lowest SD: 5%
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,750±$29kLowest 15% below SD $66,563±$11kHighest 11% below SD
Irene and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $112,500±$57kHighest 56% below SD $87,300±$13kLowest 66% below SD
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $783±$249Highest 17% below SD $756±$162Lowest 20% below SD
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,250Lowest 54% below SD $1,395Highest 49% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.6%±24.4Highest SD: 39.8% 11.8%±21.3Lowest SD: 39.8%
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.4%Highest SD: 11.9% 3.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.6%Lowest SD: 68.6% 69.4%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Highest 15 yrs older than SD 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 9 minLowest 47% below SD 35 minHighest 98% above SD
Work from home 10.9%±3.9Highest SD: 9.7% 4%±5.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Bowdle and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 13.9%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.8 miHighest 24.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Highest 0.80Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Roscoe (15%)Sioux Falls (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IreneFew work in Bowdle
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.7Lowest 101Highest
Schools
School district Bowdle School District 22-1Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3
High school in town Bowdle High School - 01Irene - Wakonda High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 5.0Lowest 14.1Highest
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.

Bowdle neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bowdle’s Town Square.

Irene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Irene’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bowdle and Irene

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Towns like Bowdle

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Faulkton670 people · $100K homes
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Plankinton603 people · $115K homes
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Corsica699 people · $163K homes
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Viborg958 people · $157K 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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