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Compare towns

Burke vs Oacoma

43 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (9.9× in Burke) and trails (8× in Oacoma).

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Burke, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 708 people
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Oacoma, SDA small town of 548South Dakota · 548 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 →
OacomaA small town of 548
Quiet strengthsOacoma doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oacoma →
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.

Street grid9.9×
Burke has the more walkable street grid
Burke 118Oacoma 11.9
Trails8×
Oacoma has more miles of trail
Oacoma 0.8 miBurke 0.1 mi
Conserved land+59.6 pts
Oacoma has more conserved land
Oacoma 59.6%Burke 0%
Rent+68%
Rent runs higher in Oacoma
Oacoma $883Burke $525
Work in town+19.2 pts
More of Burke’s workers stay in town
Burke 26.2%Oacoma 7%
Typical home built22 yrs
Burke’s homes are older
Oacoma 1988Burke 1966
★ What stands out · 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.

Burke$900/mo
Typical home $150K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $525/mo · Housing →
Oacoma$1,020/mo
Typical home $172K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $883/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Oacoma 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 –OacomaNot 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
BurkeOacoma
Snow a year45″43″
January low10°F9°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)149d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd85th
Outdoors & history
BurkeOacoma
Settled1904—
National Register places1—
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here5—
Community
BurkeOacoma
Library hours a week20 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

43 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BurkeSDOacomaSD
Burke ↔ Oacoma43 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.

BurkeOacoma
People
Population 708Highest 548Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.8% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 43.7±5.4Highest 15% above SD 40.2±6.3Lowest 6% above SD
Burke and Oacoma 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% 25.4%±7.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Oacoma and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.4%±2.6Lowest SD: 18% 26.6%±5.8Highest SD: 18%
Oacoma and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 18.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±3.9Lowest SD: 5% 3.5%±3.4Highest SD: 5%
Oacoma and Burke 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 $73,333±$26kHighest about the SD average
Oacoma 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 $171,700±$82kHighest 33% below SD
Oacoma 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 $883±$105Highest 7% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,369Lowest 50% below SD $1,494Highest 45% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 13.8%±18.4Lowest SD: 39.8% 23.4%±51.5Highest SD: 39.8%
Oacoma and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.1%Highest SD: 11.9% 5.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.8%Lowest SD: 68.6% 77.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 14 yrs older than SD 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 34% below SD 15 minHighest 16% below SD
Work from home 3.3%±2.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.1%±7.1Highest SD: 9.7%
Oacoma 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 7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miLowest 34.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.50Highest 1.49Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Gregory (10%)Presho (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OacomaFew work in Burke
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 59.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 11.9Lowest
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.

Oacoma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oacoma’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Burke and Oacoma

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

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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