Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Box Elder vs Aberdeen

245 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+41.4 pts in Box Elder) and rent (2× in Box Elder).

×
Box Elder, SDHomes around $367KSouth Dakota · 12,902 people
×
Aberdeen, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 28,189 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 $800 more a month in Box Elder

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.

Box Elder$2,330/mo
Typical home $367K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.33% · or rent about $1,491/mo · Housing →
Aberdeen$1,530/mo
Typical home $244K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.25% · or rent about $762/mo · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Box Elder and Aberdeen.

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

Aberdeen places higher on 14 of 22 SD lists

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
Box ElderAberdeen
Snow a year49″43″
January low13°F2°F
July high86°F85°F
Growing season (days)139d139d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st40th
Outdoors & history
Box ElderAberdeen
Trails6 mi12 mi
Conserved land0.7%5.1%
Settled19071880
National Register places—23
Archive photos3—
Famous people born here1—
Community
Box ElderAberdeen
Library hours a week—61 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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

245 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Box Elder ↔ Aberdeen245 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.

Box ElderAberdeen
People
Population 12,902Lowest 28,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +50.6%Highest SD: +8.9% +9.2%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 28.8±2.2Lowest 24% below SD 36.4±0.9Highest 4% below SD
Kids under 18 26.9%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2% 22.4%±1.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Box Elder and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 7.5%±2Lowest SD: 18% 16.4%±1.6Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28%Lowest SD: 31.9% 35%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±3.7Highest SD: 5% 6.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5%
Box Elder and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,008±$9kHighest about the SD average $64,405±$5kLowest 14% below SD
Box Elder and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $302,100±$25kHighest 17% above SD $217,300±$13kLowest 16% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,491±$138Highest 58% above SD $762±$38Lowest 19% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,019Highest 48% above SD $2,719Lowest about the SD average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.4%±8.7Lowest SD: 39.8% 45.8%±6.3Highest SD: 39.8%
Aberdeen and Box Elder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 13.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.2%Lowest SD: 68.6% 61.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 24 yrs newer than SD 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 12 minLowest 33% below SD
Work from home 6.9%±2.6Highest SD: 9.7% 5.4%±1.7Lowest SD: 9.7%
Box Elder and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.6%Lowest 66.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.43Lowest 1.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (62%)Aberdeen Township (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AberdeenFew work in Box Elder
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 5.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.7 miLowest 12.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 13Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 25.9Lowest 66.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #22 of 34 in SD#20 of 34 in SD
School district Douglas School District 51-1SD SCH FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED · Aberdeen School District 06-1
High school in town Douglas High School - 03Central High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 17.1Lowest 17.2Highest
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.

Box Elder neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Box Elder’s Town Square.

Aberdeen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aberdeen’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Box Elder and Aberdeen

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

Bordering Box Elder

Towns like Box Elder

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.

Post to Box Elder

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in