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Compare towns

Hoven vs Irene

198 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (17 min in Hoven) and typical home built (26 yrs in Irene).

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Hoven, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 329 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.

HovenKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 84%of SD districts All about Hoven →
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.

Average commute17 min
Hoven has the shorter commute
Irene 35 minHoven 18 min
Typical home built26 yrs
Irene’s homes are older
Hoven 1971Irene 1945
Street grid+53%
Hoven has the more walkable street grid
Hoven 155Irene 101
Homeowners+9.9 pts renters
Irene has more renters
Hoven 79.3%Irene 69.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,280 more a month in Irene

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.

Hoven$580/mo
Typical home $88K (Census) · tax rate 1.59% · Housing →
Irene$1,860/mo
Typical home $282K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $756/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,280 a month, about $15,300 a year, between Irene and Hoven.

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
A−HovenBetter than 84% 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
HovenIrene
Snow a year33″31″
January low4°F7°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)145d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th46th
Outdoors & history
HovenIrene
Settled18831895
National Register places11
Archive photos4—
Famous people born here2—
Community
HovenIrene
Library hours a week—36 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

198 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HovenSDIreneSD
Hoven ↔ Irene198 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.

HovenIrene
People
Population 329Lowest 456Highest
Median age 35.9±11.6Lowest 6% below SD 38.2±8.3Highest about the SD average
Irene and Hoven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.4%±6.2Highest SD: 24.2% 16.4%±6.7Lowest SD: 24.2%
Hoven and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 25.8%±9.2Highest SD: 18% 23.9%±10.2Lowest SD: 18%
Hoven and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 16.2%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±4.3Lowest SD: 5% 0.4%±2.4Highest SD: 5%
Irene and Hoven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,625±$22kLowest 19% below SD $66,563±$11kHighest 11% below SD
Irene and Hoven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $88,300±$15kHighest 66% below SD $87,300±$13kLowest 66% below SD
Hoven and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $756±$162 20% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,406Highest 48% below SD $1,395Lowest 49% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.4%±65.5Highest SD: 39.8% 11.8%±21.3Lowest SD: 39.8%
Hoven and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.9%Highest SD: 11.9% 3.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 69.4%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest about the SD average 35 minHighest 98% above SD
Work from home 4.1%±3.8Highest SD: 9.7% 4%±5.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Hoven and Irene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Highest 0.80Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Gettysburg (40%)Sioux Falls (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IreneFew work in Hoven
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 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 155Highest 101Lowest
Schools
School district Hoven School District 53-2Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3
High school in town Hoven High School - 01Irene - Wakonda High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 5.6Lowest 14.1Highest
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.

Hoven neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hoven’s Town Square.

Irene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Irene’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Hoven

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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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