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Compare towns

Custer vs Lead

41 miles apart. The biggest differences: typical home built (33 yrs in Lead) and jobs per worker (2.1× in Custer).

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Custer, SDHomes around $474KSouth Dakota · 2,341 people
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Lead, SDAn outdoors townSouth Dakota · 3,006 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.

CusterHomes around $474K
Housing$474K typical home47% above the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18757 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 72%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Custer →
LeadAn outdoors town
Outdoors#3 most trails in SD3.7 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves Housing$388K typical home20% above the SD typical home HealthHealthier than 59%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lead →
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.

Typical home built33 yrs
Lead’s homes are older
Custer 1971Lead 1938
Jobs per worker2.1×
Custer is more of a job hub
Custer 1.33Lead 0.62
Property tax bill+30%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer
Custer $2,430Lead $1,864
Work in town+16.1 pts
More of Custer’s workers stay in town
Custer 34.1%Lead 18%
★ What stands out · Life in each

Lead gets 126 more inches of snow a year

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
CusterLead
Snow a year58″184″
January low16°F18°F
July high80°F82°F
Growing season (days)129d133d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd54th
Outdoors & history
CusterLead
Trails5 mi4 mi
Conserved land3%0.8%
Settled18751876
National Register places72
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here—9
Community
CusterLead
Library hours a week33 hrs40 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Custer

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.

Custer$2,890/mo
Typical home $474K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $968/mo · Housing →
Lead$2,350/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Custer and Lead.

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.

Safety
–CusterNot graded B+LeadSafer than 73% of U.S. towns
Schools
BCusterBetter than 55% of districts in the state C+LeadBetter than 39% of districts in the state
Health
B+CusterHealthier than 72% of U.S. towns BLeadHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns
Where they are

41 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CusterSDLeadSD
Custer ↔ Lead41 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.

CusterLead
People
Population 2,341Lowest 3,006Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.2%Lowest SD: +8.9% -4.5%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 51.2±10.5Highest 35% above SD 46.5±13.1Lowest 22% above SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 13.4%±3.5Lowest SD: 24.2% 14.7%±5.1Highest SD: 24.2%
Lead and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 34.7%±4.4Highest SD: 18% 27.2%±7.3Lowest SD: 18%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 20.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±2.8Highest SD: 5% 1.8%±1.8Lowest SD: 5%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,369±$11kHighest 4% above SD $73,047±$33kLowest about the SD average
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $235,600±$40kHighest 8% below SD $189,400±$19kLowest 26% below SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $968±$159Highest about the SD average $835±$81Lowest 12% below SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,430Highest 11% below SD $1,864Lowest 32% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.2%±10.1Highest SD: 39.8% 30.9%±15.1Lowest SD: 39.8%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Highest SD: 11.9% 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 70.3%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 5% above SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 8.1%±5.3Highest SD: 9.7% 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34.1%Highest 18%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 3.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.33Highest 0.62Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (21%)Deadwood (38%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LeadFew work in Custer
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.6 miHighest 3.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.2Lowest 99.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#31 of 34 in SD
School district Custer School District 16-1Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1
High school in town Custer High School - 01Lead-Deadwood High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 13.7Highest 10.7Lowest
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.

Custer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Custer’s Town Square.

Lead neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lead’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Custer and Lead

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Towns like Custer

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Chamberlain2,588 people · $224K 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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