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Brandon vs Tea

15 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+21.3 pts in Tea) and trails (2.2× in Tea).

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Brandon, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 10,996 people
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Tea, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 6,786 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.

BrandonKnown for its schools
Schools#1 for schools in SDof 34 towns HealthHealthier than 90%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Housing$395K typical home23% above the SD typical home All about Brandon →
TeaKnown for its schools
Schools#3 for schools in SDof 34 towns Housing$389K typical home21% above the SD typical home HealthHealthier than 90%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Tea →
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.

Growth since 2010+21.3 pts
Tea has grown faster since 2010
Tea +47.1%Brandon +25.8%
Trails2.2×
Tea has more miles of trail
Tea 2.0 miBrandon 0.9 mi
Age 65++9.3 pts
Brandon has more people 65 and up
Brandon 14.8%Tea 5.5%
Median age6.1 yrs
Brandon skews older
Brandon 36.7Tea 30.6
★ What stands out · Report cards

Tea places higher on 9 of 20 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.

Safety
–BrandonNot graded BTeaSafer than 59% of U.S. towns
Schools
ABrandonBetter than 91% of districts in the state A−TeaBetter than 79% of districts in the state
Health
ABrandonHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns ATeaHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns
8Brandon
9Tea

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Cheapest rentCost of living · 34 towns #20#29 Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #18#9 Most conserved landOutdoors · 33 towns #15#23 Most new homesHousing · 31 towns #9#3 Lowest obesityHealth · 37 towns #16#23 Shortest commuteGetting around · 37 towns #24#31 Highest graduation rateSchools · 33 towns #1#4 Fastest growingGrowth · 36 towns #7#4

Left end = #1 in South Dakota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Brandon’s rankings →

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.

Brandon$2,450/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.15% · or rent about $976/mo · Housing →
Tea$2,420/mo
Typical home $389K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,220/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
BrandonTea
Snow a year49″49″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th37th
Outdoors & history
BrandonTea
Trails1 mi2 mi
Conserved land3.4%2.2%
Settled—1894
National Register places—1
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here3—
Community
BrandonTea
Library hours a week56 hrs17 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

15 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BrandonTeaBrandonTea
Brandon ↔ Tea15 miles apart
Who commutes between them
34 Tea residents work in Brandon (1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Tea →
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.

BrandonTea
People
Population 10,996Highest 6,786Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +25.8%Lowest SD: +8.9% +47.1%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 36.7±2.2Highest 3% below SD 30.6±2.2Lowest 19% below SD
Kids under 18 32.4%±3.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 36.3%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2%
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.8%±2.7Highest SD: 18% 5.5%±2Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41.9%Lowest SD: 31.9% 47.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±0.7Highest SD: 5% 1.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5%
Brandon and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $110,806±$10kLowest 48% above SD $120,139±$19kHighest 60% above SD
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $336,600±$19kLowest 31% above SD $351,100±$26kHighest 36% above SD
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $976±$73Lowest 3% above SD $1,220±$260Highest 29% above SD
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,886Lowest 43% above SD $4,166Highest 53% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35%±11Lowest SD: 39.8% 45.9%±23.2Highest SD: 39.8%
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.4%Lowest SD: 11.9% 4.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Highest SD: 68.6% 79.7%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2001Lowest 21 yrs newer than SD 2004Highest 24 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 3% above SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 18.8%±4.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 19.7%±5.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Tea and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.1%Highest 9.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 7.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.59Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (60%)Sioux Falls (67%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Tea1% work in Brandon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.4%Highest 2.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.0Lowest 69.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #1 of 34 in SD#3 of 34 in SD
School district Brandon Valley School District 49-2Tea Area School District 41-5
High school in town Brandon Valley High School - 01Tea Area High School - 03
Students per teacherat that high school 20.5Highest 19.5Lowest
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.

Brandon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brandon’s Town Square.

Tea neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tea’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Brandon and Tea

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

Bordering Brandon

B
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Brandon Township536 people · $346K homes
S
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Split Rock Township3,143 people · $500K homes

Towns like Brandon

H
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Harrisburg8,519 people · $312K homes
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Pierre13,948 people · $231K homes
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Yankton15,540 people · $223K homes
B
+ Compare
Big Sioux Township4,917 people · $502K 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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