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Compare towns

Kimball vs Bridgewater

74 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.9× in Bridgewater) and jobs per worker (2.7× in Kimball).

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Kimball, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 457 people
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Bridgewater, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 451 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.

KimballKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 86%of SD districts All about Kimball →
BridgewaterKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 86%of SD districts Housing$249K typical home23% below the SD typical home All about Bridgewater →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid2.9×
Bridgewater has the more walkable street grid
Bridgewater 70.2Kimball 24.3
Jobs per worker2.7×
Kimball is more of a job hub
Kimball 1.33Bridgewater 0.50
Conserved land+21.3 pts
Kimball has more conserved land
Kimball 21.3%Bridgewater 0%
Average commute7 min
Kimball has the shorter commute
Bridgewater 24 minKimball 17 min
Property tax bill+22%
Tax bills are bigger in Bridgewater
Bridgewater $1,625Kimball $1,330
Work in town+11.5 pts
More of Kimball’s workers stay in town
Kimball 15.1%Bridgewater 3.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $690 more a month in Bridgewater

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.

Kimball$910/mo
Typical home $153K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $814/mo · Housing →
Bridgewater$1,600/mo
Typical home $249K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.40% · or rent about $729/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,200 a year, between Bridgewater and Kimball.

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
AKimballBetter than 86% of districts in the state ABridgewaterBetter than 86% 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
KimballBridgewater
Snow a year38″36″
January low8°F6°F
July high86°F84°F
Growing season (days)153d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th55th
Outdoors & history
KimballBridgewater
Settled1883—
National Register places11
Archive photos2—
Famous people born here2—
Community
KimballBridgewater
Library hours a week26 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

74 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

KimballSDBridgewaterSD
Kimball ↔ Bridgewater74 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.

KimballBridgewater
People
Population 457Highest 451Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -18.6% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 49.7±9.7Highest 31% above SD 48.7±10.7Lowest 28% above SD
Kimball and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.8%±5.9Highest SD: 24.2% 20.2%±6.9Lowest SD: 24.2%
Kimball and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.9%±5Lowest SD: 18% 31%±5.4Highest SD: 18%
Bridgewater and Kimball are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.4%Highest SD: 31.9% 13.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.4%±3.2Lowest SD: 5% 3.1%±3.8Highest SD: 5%
Bridgewater and Kimball are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,917±$18kHighest 30% below SD $47,083±$13kLowest 37% below SD
Kimball and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $152,800±$36kHighest 41% below SD $116,100±$38kLowest 55% below SD
Kimball and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $814±$274Highest 14% below SD $729±$26Lowest 23% below SD
Kimball and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,330Lowest 51% below SD $1,625Highest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.5%±33.2Lowest SD: 39.8% 56.4%±35.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Bridgewater and Kimball are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.8%Lowest SD: 11.9% 10.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71%Lowest SD: 68.6% 72%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 24 yrs older than SD 1969Highest 11 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 3% below SD 24 minHighest 36% above SD
Work from home 6.5%±4.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 9.9%±5.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Bridgewater and Kimball are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.1%Highest 3.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 43.8 miHighest 36.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.33Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chamberlain (15%)Sioux Falls (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BridgewaterFew work in Kimball
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 21.3%Highest 0%Lowest
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 24.3Lowest 70.2Highest
Schools
School district Kimball School District 07-2Bridgewater-Emery 30-3
High school in town Kimball High School - 01None in town
Students per teacherat that high school 9.3 —
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.

Kimball neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kimball’s Town Square.

Bridgewater neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bridgewater’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Kimball and Bridgewater

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Bordering Kimball

K
+ Compare
Kimball Township106 people · $223K homes

Towns like Kimball

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Philip571 people · $182K homes
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Rosholt428 people · $116K homes
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Menno653 people · $112K homes
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Big Stone City706 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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