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Compare towns

Bowdle vs Plankinton

133 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+16.9 pts in Plankinton) and average commute (13 min in Bowdle).

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Bowdle, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 475 people
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Plankinton, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 603 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 →
PlankintonKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts All about Plankinton →
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+16.9 pts
Plankinton has grown faster since 2010
Plankinton +10.5%Bowdle -6.4%
Average commute13 min
Bowdle has the shorter commute
Plankinton 22 minBowdle 9 min
Age 65++13.1 pts
Bowdle has more people 65 and up
Bowdle 27.2%Plankinton 14.1%
Property tax bill+36%
Tax bills are bigger in Plankinton
Plankinton $1,703Bowdle $1,250
Jobs per worker+87%
Bowdle is more of a job hub
Bowdle 1.31Plankinton 0.70
Homeowners+9.4 pts renters
Bowdle has more renters
Plankinton 69%Bowdle 59.6%
★ What stands out · 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 B+PlankintonBetter than 71% of districts in the state
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Plankinton$740/mo
Typical home $115K (Census) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $970/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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

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
BowdlePlankinton
Snow a year47″38″
January low3°F8°F
July high83°F86°F
Growing season (days)148d153d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)25th48th
Outdoors & history
BowdlePlankinton
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled1886—
National Register places12
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here2—
Community
BowdlePlankinton
Library hours a week30 hrs10 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

133 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BowdleSDPlankintonSD
Bowdle ↔ Plankinton133 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.

BowdlePlankinton
People
Population 475Lowest 603Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.4%Lowest SD: +8.9% +10.5%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 39.1±4.1Lowest about the SD average 42.4±3.5Highest 12% above SD
Plankinton and Bowdle 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% 23.7%±5.5Lowest SD: 24.2%
Bowdle and Plankinton 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% 14.1%±4.1Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26%Lowest SD: 31.9% 27.5%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.7%±2.6Lowest SD: 5% 2.7%±2.4Highest SD: 5%
Plankinton and Bowdle 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 $74,833±$7kHighest about the SD average
Plankinton 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±$57kLowest 56% below SD $114,800±$29kHighest 55% below SD
Plankinton and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $783±$249Lowest 17% below SD $970±$159Highest about the SD average
Plankinton and Bowdle 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 $1,703Highest 37% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.6%±24.4Lowest SD: 39.8% 39.3%±28.7Highest SD: 39.8%
Plankinton and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.4%Lowest SD: 11.9% 15.6%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.6%Lowest SD: 68.6% 69%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than SD 1979Highest 1 yr older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 9 minLowest 47% below SD 22 minHighest 23% above SD
Work from home 10.9%±3.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 11.5%±4.5Highest SD: 9.7%
Plankinton and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 13.9%Highest 11.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.8 miHighest 22.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Highest 0.70Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Roscoe (15%)Mitchell (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PlankintonFew work in Bowdle
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.7Lowest 117Highest
Schools
School district Bowdle School District 22-1Plankinton School District 01-1
High school in town Bowdle High School - 01Plankinton High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 5.0Lowest 10.1Highest
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.

Plankinton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plankinton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bowdle and Plankinton

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

Towns like Bowdle

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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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