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Compare towns

Lead vs Custer

41 miles apart. The biggest differences: typical home built (33 yrs in Lead) and jobs per worker (2.1× in Custer).

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Lead, SDAn outdoors townSouth Dakota · 3,006 people
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Custer, SDHomes around $474KSouth Dakota · 2,341 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.

LeadAn outdoors town
Outdoors#3 most trails in SD3.7 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves Housing$388K typical home20% above the SD typical home HealthHealthier than 59%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lead →
CusterHomes around $474K
Housing$474K typical home47% above the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18757 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 72%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Custer →
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.

Typical home built33 yrs
Lead’s homes are older
Custer 1971Lead 1938
Jobs per worker2.1×
Custer is more of a job hub
Custer 1.33Lead 0.62
Property tax bill+30%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer
Custer $2,430Lead $1,864
Work in town+16.1 pts
More of Custer’s workers stay in town
Custer 34.1%Lead 18%
★ What stands out · Life in each

Lead gets 126 more inches of snow a year

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
LeadCuster
Snow a year184″58″
January low18°F16°F
July high82°F80°F
Growing season (days)133d129d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th72nd
Outdoors & history
LeadCuster
Trails4 mi5 mi
Conserved land0.8%3%
Settled18761875
National Register places27
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here9—
Community
LeadCuster
Library hours a week40 hrs33 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Custer

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.

Lead$2,350/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →
Custer$2,890/mo
Typical home $474K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $968/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Custer and Lead.

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.

Safety
B+LeadSafer than 73% of U.S. towns –CusterNot graded
Schools
C+LeadBetter than 39% of districts in the state BCusterBetter than 55% of districts in the state
Health
BLeadHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns B+CusterHealthier than 72% of U.S. towns
Where they are

41 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LeadSDCusterSD
Lead ↔ Custer41 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.

LeadCuster
People
Population 3,006Highest 2,341Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.5%Highest SD: +8.9% -7.2%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 46.5±13.1Lowest 22% above SD 51.2±10.5Highest 35% above SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.7%±5.1Highest SD: 24.2% 13.4%±3.5Lowest SD: 24.2%
Lead and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.2%±7.3Lowest SD: 18% 34.7%±4.4Highest SD: 18%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.5%Lowest SD: 31.9% 26.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.8Lowest SD: 5% 3.4%±2.8Highest SD: 5%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,047±$33kLowest about the SD average $78,369±$11kHighest 4% above SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $189,400±$19kLowest 26% below SD $235,600±$40kHighest 8% below SD
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $835±$81Lowest 12% below SD $968±$159Highest about the SD average
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,864Lowest 32% below SD $2,430Highest 11% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.9%±15.1Lowest SD: 39.8% 31.2%±10.1Highest SD: 39.8%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 14.2%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 69.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 19 minLowest 5% above SD
Work from home 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7% 8.1%±5.3Highest SD: 9.7%
Custer and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 18%Lowest 34.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.3 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.62Lowest 1.33Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Deadwood (38%)Rapid City (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CusterFew work in Lead
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.7 miLowest 4.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 99.5Highest 74.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #31 of 34 in SD—
School district Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Custer School District 16-1
High school in town Lead-Deadwood High School - 01Custer High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 10.7Lowest 13.7Highest
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.

Lead neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lead’s Town Square.

Custer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Custer’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lead and Custer

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Lead

D
+ Compare
Deadwood1,209 people · $227K homes

Towns like Lead

+ Compare
Canton3,033 people · $191K homes
+ Compare
Fort Pierre2,410 people · $221K homes
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Milbank3,525 people · $155K homes
+ Compare
Mobridge2,932 people · $137K 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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