Compare towns
Java vs Utica 211 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.7× in Utica) and average commute (11 min in Utica).
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Java, SD A small town of 78 South Dakota · 78 people
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Utica, SD A small town of 68 South Dakota · 68 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.
Java A small town of 78
Quiet strengths Java doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Java →
Utica A small town of 68
Quiet strengths Utica doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Utica →
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 about the same each month 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.
Down payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Java $320 /mo
Typical home $54K (Census) · tax rate 0.83% · Housing →
Utica $320 /mo
Typical home $53K (Census) · tax rate 1.03% · Housing →
Within $50 a month of each other.
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.
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.
Outdoors & history
National Register places 1 4
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 211 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Java ↔ Utica 211 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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
78 Highest 68 Lowest
Median age
54.8 ±14.3 Highest 44% above SD 52 ±21.3 Lowest 37% above SD
Kids under 18
9% ±26.4 Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.5% ±32 Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+
25.6% ±26.5 Lowest SD: 18% 27.9% ±30.2 Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
20% Highest SD: 31.9% 18% Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
1.3% ±13.4 Highest SD: 5% 0% ±20.8 Lowest SD: 5%
Household incomemedian
$38,750 ±$26k Lowest 48% below SD $51,000 ±$9k Highest 32% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$54,200 ±$20k Highest 79% below SD $52,500 ±$24k Lowest 80% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly
$450 Lowest 83% below SD $540 Highest 80% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
66.7% ±100 Highest SD: 39.8% 33.3% ±100 Lowest SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line
25.6% Highest SD: 11.9% 4.4% Lowest SD: 11.9%
Homeownersof occupied homes
76.3% Lowest SD: 68.6% 81.3% Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year
1956 Lowest 24 yrs older than SD 1960 Highest 20 yrs older than SD
Average commuteone way
32 min Highest 77% above SD 21 min Lowest 16% above SD
Work from home
0% ±32.3 Lowest SD: 9.7% 4% ±7.6 Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents
2.1% Highest 0% Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
27.3 mi Highest 10.8 mi Lowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.55 Lowest 1.50 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Selby (26%) Yankton (42%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Utica Few work in Java
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi Lowest 0.2 mi Highest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi Lowest 0.7 mi Highest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
90.5 Highest 72.2 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Java or Utica: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Java? → Moving to Java: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Java’s Town Square.
Utica or Java: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Utica? → Moving to Utica: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Utica’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Java and Utica One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Java 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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