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Compare towns

Box Elder vs Vermillion

322 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+40 pts in Box Elder) and rent (2× in Box Elder).

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Box Elder, SDHomes around $367KSouth Dakota · 12,902 people
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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 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 $540 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 →
Vermillion$1,790/mo
Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Box Elder and Vermillion.

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

Vermillion places higher on 13 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 ElderVermillion
Snow a year49″36″
January low13°F—
July high86°F—
Growing season (days)139d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st46th
Outdoors & history
Box ElderVermillion
Trails6 mi3 mi
Conserved land0.7%3%
Settled19071859
National Register places—26
Archive photos3—
Famous people born here1—
Community
Box ElderVermillion
Library hours a week—70 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

322 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Box Elder ↔ Vermillion322 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 ElderVermillion
People
Population 12,902Highest 11,878Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +50.6%Highest SD: +8.9% +10.6%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 28.8±2.2Highest 24% below SD 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD
Kids under 18 26.9%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2% 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 7.5%±2Lowest SD: 18% 9.6%±1.7Highest SD: 18%
Vermillion and Box Elder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28%Lowest SD: 31.9% 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±3.7Lowest SD: 5% 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,008±$9kHighest about the SD average $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $302,100±$25kHighest 17% above SD $219,000±$29kLowest 15% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,491±$138Highest 58% above SD $764±$51Lowest 19% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,019Highest 48% above SD $3,214Lowest 18% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.4%±8.7Lowest SD: 39.8% 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion 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% 24.4%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.2%Highest SD: 68.6% 42%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 24 yrs newer than SD 1978Lowest 2 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 17 minLowest 5% below SD
Work from home 6.9%±2.6Highest SD: 9.7% 6.4%±2.9Lowest SD: 9.7%
Box Elder and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.6%Lowest 47.6%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%)Sioux Falls (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VermillionFew work in Box Elder
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.7 miHighest 2.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 25.9Lowest 65.0Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #22 of 34 in SD#9 of 34 in SD
School district Douglas School District 51-1Vermillion School District 13-1
High school in town Douglas High School - 03Vermillion High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 17.1Highest 15.0Lowest
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.

Vermillion neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Vermillion's Hidden Gems

1 neighbor in Vermillion can answer.

Add a town

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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.

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