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Compare towns

Faith vs Buffalo

83 miles apart. The biggest differences: work in town (+18.1 pts in Buffalo) and street grid (+82% in Buffalo).

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Faith, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 297 people
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Buffalo, SDHomes around $199KSouth Dakota · 278 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.

FaithA regional job hub
Work285 jobsbased in Faith, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 10%of SD districts All about Faith →
BuffaloHomes around $199K
Housing$199K typical home38% below the SD typical home All about Buffalo →
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.

Work in town+18.1 pts
More of Buffalo’s workers stay in town
Buffalo 24.1%Faith 6%
Street grid+82%
Buffalo has the more walkable street grid
Buffalo 96.3Faith 52.8
Typical home built22 yrs
Buffalo’s homes are older
Faith 1975Buffalo 1953
Jobs per worker+52%
Faith is more of a job hub
Faith 1.89Buffalo 1.24
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $450 more a month in Faith

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.

Faith$1,750/mo
Typical home $284K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.10% · or rent about $383/mo · Housing →
Buffalo$1,300/mo
Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.52% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Faith and Buffalo.

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
DFaithBetter than 10% of districts in the state –BuffaloNot 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
FaithBuffalo
Snow a year56″51″
January low11°F9°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)151d131d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)79th71st
Outdoors & history
FaithBuffalo
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled—1909
National Register places31
Community
FaithBuffalo
Library hours a week32 hrs20 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

83 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

FaithSDBuffaloSD
Faith ↔ Buffalo83 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.

FaithBuffalo
People
Population 297Highest 278Lowest
Median age 55.9±11.1Lowest 47% above SD 57.2±6.6Highest 51% above SD
Buffalo and Faith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.1%±10.6Highest SD: 24.2% 10.8%±8.1Lowest SD: 24.2%
Faith and Buffalo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 36.7%±23.9Highest SD: 18% 20.5%±7.4Lowest SD: 18%
Faith and Buffalo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.4%Highest SD: 31.9% 15.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.7%±3.6 SD: 5% 0.7%±3.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $47,083±$33kLowest 37% below SD $85,104±$10kHighest 13% above SD
Buffalo and Faith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $151,000±$74kHighest 41% below SD $114,100±$44kLowest 56% below SD
Faith and Buffalo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $383±$272Lowest 60% below SD $725±$321Highest 23% below SD
Buffalo and Faith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,656Lowest 39% below SD $1,735Highest 36% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.9%±72.6Highest SD: 39.8% 11.5%±66.9Lowest SD: 39.8%
Faith and Buffalo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.1%Highest SD: 11.9% 6.8%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.2%Lowest SD: 68.6% 82%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 5 yrs older than SD 1953Lowest 27 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minHighest 35% below SD 10 minLowest 42% below SD
Work from home 16.3%±18.5Highest SD: 9.7% 5.5%±4.7Lowest SD: 9.7%
Faith and Buffalo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6%Lowest 24.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 86.3 miHighest 16.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.89Highest 1.24Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (46%)Camp Crook (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BuffaloFew work in Faith
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 52.8Lowest 96.3Highest
Schools
School district Faith School District 46-2—
High school in town Faith High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.1 —
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.

Faith neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Faith’s Town Square.

Buffalo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buffalo’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Faith

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Wakonda399 people · $107K homes
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Oxford Township167 people · $221K homes
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Pukwana300 people · $100K homes
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Hudson382 people · $151K 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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