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Compare towns

Hermosa vs Irene

307 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+67% in Hermosa) and street grid (2.6× in Irene).

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Hermosa, SDHomes around $529KSouth Dakota · 353 people
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Irene, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 456 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.

HermosaHomes around $529K
Housing$529K typical home64% above the SD typical home All about Hermosa →
IreneKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 18%of SD districts All about Irene →
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.

Rent+67%
Rent runs higher in Hermosa
Hermosa $1,264Irene $756
Street grid2.6×
Irene has the more walkable street grid
Irene 101Hermosa 39.2
Typical home built46 yrs
Irene’s homes are older
Hermosa 1991Irene 1945
Average commute7 min
Hermosa has the shorter commute
Irene 35 minHermosa 29 min
Bachelor’s degree++8.7 pts
More adults in Irene have a degree
Irene 16.2%Hermosa 7.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,330 more a month in Hermosa

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.

Hermosa$3,190/mo
Typical home $529K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.94% · or rent about $1,264/mo · Housing →
Irene$1,860/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $756/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,330 a month, about $16,000 a year, between Hermosa and Irene.

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
BHermosaBetter than 55% of districts in the state C−IreneBetter than 18% of districts in the state
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
HermosaIrene
Snow a year33″31″
January low—7°F
July high—84°F
Growing season (days)—151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th46th
Outdoors & history
HermosaIrene
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled—1895
National Register places11
Archive photos12—
Community
HermosaIrene
Library hours a week17 hrs36 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

307 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HermosaSDIreneSD
Hermosa ↔ Irene307 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.

HermosaIrene
People
Population 353Lowest 456Highest
Median age 40.1±17.7Highest 6% above SD 38.2±8.3Lowest about the SD average
Hermosa and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.5%±7.1Highest SD: 24.2% 16.4%±6.7Lowest SD: 24.2%
Hermosa and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.5%±10.9Lowest SD: 18% 23.9%±10.2Highest SD: 18%
Irene and Hermosa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.5%Lowest SD: 31.9% 16.2%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2%±4.1Highest SD: 5% 0.4%±2.4Lowest SD: 5%
Hermosa and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $53,203±$24kLowest 29% below SD $66,563±$11kHighest 11% below SD
Irene and Hermosa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $148,800±$77kHighest 42% below SD $87,300±$13kLowest 66% below SD
Hermosa and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,264±$172Highest 34% above SD $756±$162Lowest 20% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,397Highest 49% below SD $1,395Lowest 49% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26%±44.8Highest SD: 39.8% 11.8%±21.3Lowest SD: 39.8%
Hermosa and Irene 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% 3.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.9%Highest SD: 68.6% 69.4%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1991Highest 11 yrs newer than SD 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest 61% above SD 35 minHighest 98% above SD
Work from home 13.5%±10Highest SD: 9.7% 4%±5.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Hermosa and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.8%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.99Highest 0.80Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (29%)Sioux Falls (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IreneFew work in Hermosa
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 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.2Lowest 101Highest
Schools
School district Custer School District 16-1Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3
High school in town None in townIrene - Wakonda High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.1
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.

Hermosa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hermosa’s Town Square.

Irene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Irene’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Hermosa

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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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