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Compare towns

Custer vs Redfield

262 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (2× in Custer) and trails (4.6× in Custer).

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Custer, SDHomes around $474KSouth Dakota · 2,341 people
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Redfield, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 1,989 people
Swap order
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 →
RedfieldKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 9%of SD districts Housing$167K typical home48% below the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18806 places on the National Register All about Redfield →
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.

Home values2×
Homes cost more in Custer
Custer $235,600Redfield $120,200
Trails4.6×
Custer has more miles of trail
Custer 4.6 miRedfield 1.0 mi
Household income+35%
Households in Custer earn more
Custer $78,369Redfield $58,229
Homeowners+13 pts renters
Redfield has more renters
Custer 69.5%Redfield 56.5%
Average commute5 min
Redfield has the shorter commute
Custer 19 minRedfield 14 min
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer
Custer $2,430Redfield $2,064
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,780 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 →
Redfield$1,120/mo
Typical home $167K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.72% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,780 a month, about $21,300 a year, between Custer and Redfield.

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
BCusterBetter than 55% of districts in the state DRedfieldBetter than 9% of districts in the state
Health
B+CusterHealthier than 72% of U.S. towns B−RedfieldHealthier than 53% of U.S. towns
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
CusterRedfield
Snow a year58″43″
January low16°F1°F
July high80°F84°F
Growing season (days)129d137d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd39th
Outdoors & history
CusterRedfield
Trails5 mi1 mi
Conserved land3%0%
Settled18751880
National Register places76
Archive photos1211
Famous people born here—13
Community
CusterRedfield
Library hours a week33 hrs39 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

262 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CusterSDRedfieldSD
Custer ↔ Redfield262 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.

CusterRedfield
People
Population 2,341Highest 1,989Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.2%Lowest SD: +8.9% -5.1%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 51.2±10.5Highest 35% above SD 49±6.2Lowest 29% above SD
Custer and Redfield 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% 19.2%±3.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Redfield 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% 28.6%±4.6Lowest SD: 18%
Custer and Redfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.1%Lowest SD: 31.9% 30.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±2.8Lowest SD: 5% 4.1%±2.2Highest SD: 5%
Redfield and Custer 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 $58,229±$7kLowest 22% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $235,600±$40kHighest 8% below SD $120,200±$23kLowest 53% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $968±$159Highest about the SD average $725±$91Lowest 23% below SD
Custer and Redfield 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 $2,064Lowest 24% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.2%±10.1Lowest SD: 39.8% 31.8%±9Highest SD: 39.8%
Redfield and Custer 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% 6%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.5%Highest SD: 68.6% 56.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD 1960Lowest 20 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 5% above SD 14 minLowest 24% below SD
Work from home 8.1%±5.3Highest SD: 9.7% 2.7%±1.8Lowest SD: 9.7%
Custer and Redfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34.1%Lowest 41.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.33Highest 0.92Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (21%)Redfield Township (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RedfieldFew work in Custer
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.6 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.2Lowest 83.4Highest
Schools
School district Custer School District 16-1Redfield School District 56-4
High school in town Custer High School - 01Redfield High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 13.7Highest 10.8Lowest
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.

Redfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Redfield’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Custer

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Lincoln Township1,598 people · $243K 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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