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Compare towns

Burke vs Colton

126 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.3× in Burke) and property tax bill (+60% in Colton).

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Burke, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 708 people
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Colton, SDA small town of 736South Dakota · 736 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.

BurkeA regional job hub
Work390 jobsbased in Burke, a regional job hub All about Burke →
ColtonA small town of 736
Quiet strengthsColton doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Colton →
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.

Jobs per worker8.3×
Burke is more of a job hub
Burke 1.50Colton 0.18
Property tax bill+60%
Tax bills are bigger in Colton
Colton $2,185Burke $1,369
Average commute14 min
Burke has the shorter commute
Colton 26 minBurke 12 min
Work in town+24.9 pts
More of Burke’s workers stay in town
Burke 26.2%Colton 1.3%
Growth since 2010+12.2 pts
Colton has grown faster since 2010
Colton +7.4%Burke -4.8%
Age 65++7.8 pts
Burke has more people 65 and up
Burke 24.4%Colton 16.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,180 more a month in Colton

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.

Burke$900/mo
Typical home $150K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $525/mo · Housing →
Colton$2,080/mo
Typical home $337K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.13% · or rent about $736/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,180 a month, about $14,200 a year, between Colton and Burke.

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
BBurkeBetter than 60% of districts in the state –ColtonNot graded
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
BurkeColton
Snow a year45″40″
January low10°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)149d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd31st
Outdoors & history
BurkeColton
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled1904—
National Register places1—
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here5—
Community
BurkeColton
Library hours a week20 hrs12 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

126 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BurkeSDColtonSD
Burke ↔ Colton126 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.

BurkeColton
People
Population 708Lowest 736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.8%Lowest SD: +8.9% +7.4%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 43.7±5.4Highest 15% above SD 41.3±4.9Lowest 9% above SD
Burke and Colton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.3%±4.5Lowest SD: 24.2% 27.2%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2%
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.4%±2.6Highest SD: 18% 16.6%±1.6Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 14.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±3.9Highest SD: 5% 2%±1.5Lowest SD: 5%
Burke and Colton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,500±$13kLowest 30% below SD $83,750±$28kHighest 12% above SD
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $150,000±$31kLowest 42% below SD $192,900±$33kHighest 25% below SD
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $525±$120Lowest 45% below SD $736±$143Highest 22% below SD
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,369Lowest 50% below SD $2,185Highest 20% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 13.8%±18.4Lowest SD: 39.8% 28.9%±33Highest SD: 39.8%
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.1%Lowest SD: 11.9% 14.3%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.8%Highest SD: 68.6% 68.1%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Highest 14 yrs older than SD 1961Lowest 19 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 34% below SD 26 minHighest 46% above SD
Work from home 3.3%±2.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 8%±3.9Highest SD: 9.7%
Colton and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 26.2%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.50Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Gregory (10%)Sioux Falls (51%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ColtonFew work in Burke
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 77.6Lowest
Schools
School district South Central School District 26-5 · Burke School District 26-2—
High school in town Burke High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 12.2 —
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.

Burke neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Burke’s Town Square.

Colton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Colton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Burke and Colton

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Towns like Burke

A
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Alcester989 people · $126K homes
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Big Stone City706 people · $151K homes
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Menno653 people · $112K homes
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Arlington920 people · $144K 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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