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Compare towns

Harrisburg vs Tea

6 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3.3× in Tea) and growth since 2010 (+17.5 pts in Harrisburg).

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Harrisburg, SDHomes around $363KSouth Dakota · 8,519 people
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Tea, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 6,786 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Tea

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.

Harrisburg$2,250/mo
Typical home $363K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,362/mo · Housing →
Tea$2,420/mo
Typical home $389K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,220/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,000 a year, between Tea and Harrisburg.

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

Tea places higher on 11 of 20 SD lists

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.

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
HarrisburgTea
Snow a year49″49″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th37th
Outdoors & history
HarrisburgTea
Trails1 mi2 mi
Conserved land0.2%2.2%
Settled—1894
National Register places—1
Community
HarrisburgTea
Library hours a week46 hrs17 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

6 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

HarrisburgTeaHarrisburgTea
Harrisburg ↔ Tea5.8 miles apart
Who commutes between them
75 Harrisburg residents work in Tea (1.8% of its workers)
45 Tea residents work in Harrisburg (1.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Harrisburg →
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.

HarrisburgTea
People
Population 8,519Highest 6,786Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +64.6%Highest SD: +8.9% +47.1%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 31.1±1.7Highest 18% below SD 30.6±2.2Lowest 19% below SD
Harrisburg and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 34.2%±5.5Lowest SD: 24.2% 36.3%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2%
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 3.7%±2Lowest SD: 18% 5.5%±2Highest SD: 18%
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 43.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 47.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 1.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5%
Harrisburg and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $108,724±$12kLowest 45% above SD $120,139±$19kHighest 60% above SD
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $312,200±$27kLowest 21% above SD $351,100±$26kHighest 36% above SD
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,362±$67Highest 44% above SD $1,220±$260Lowest 29% above SD
Harrisburg and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,637Lowest 34% above SD $4,166Highest 53% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.5%±22Lowest SD: 39.8% 45.9%±23.2Highest SD: 39.8%
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0.5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 4.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.4%Lowest SD: 68.6% 79.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2008Highest 28 yrs newer than SD 2004Lowest 24 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 23% above SD 20 minLowest 13% above SD
Work from home 12.2%±3.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 19.7%±5.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Tea and Harrisburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.2%Highest 9.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miLowest 7.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.55Lowest 0.59Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (67%)Sioux Falls (67%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Tea1% work in Harrisburg
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Lowest 2.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.6Lowest 69.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #17 of 34 in SD#3 of 34 in SD
School district Harrisburg School District 41-2Tea Area School District 41-5
High school in town Harrisburg High School - 01Tea Area High School - 03
Students per teacherat that high school 14.3Lowest 19.5Highest
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.

Harrisburg neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harrisburg’s Town Square.

Tea neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tea’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Harrisburg

Towns like Harrisburg

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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