Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Lead vs Milbank

355 miles apart. The biggest differences: work in town (+33.3 pts in Milbank) and typical home built (34 yrs in Lead).

×
Lead, SDAn outdoors townSouth Dakota · 3,006 people
×
Milbank, SDHomes around $237KSouth Dakota · 3,525 people
Swap order
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 →
MilbankHomes around $237K
Housing$237K typical home26% below the SD typical home Schools#13 for schools in SDof 34 towns Outdoors#5 most walkable in SD2.0 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves All about Milbank →
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.

Work in town+33.3 pts
More of Milbank’s workers stay in town
Milbank 51.3%Lead 18%
Typical home built34 yrs
Lead’s homes are older
Milbank 1972Lead 1938
Average commute11 min
Milbank has the shorter commute
Lead 20 minMilbank 9 min
Jobs per worker2.3×
Milbank is more of a job hub
Milbank 1.44Lead 0.62
Growth since 2010+10.2 pts
Milbank has grown faster since 2010
Milbank +5.7%Lead -4.5%
Work from home+8.3 pts
More people work from home in Milbank
Milbank 10.3%Lead 2%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $900 more a month in Lead

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 →
Milbank$1,450/mo
Typical home $237K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $548/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Lead and Milbank.

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

Lead gets 152 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
LeadMilbank
Snow a year184″32″
January low18°F—
July high82°F—
Growing season (days)133d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th50th
Outdoors & history
LeadMilbank
Trails4 mi2 mi
Conserved land0.8%3.2%
Settled18761880
National Register places26
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here95
Community
LeadMilbank
Library hours a week40 hrs45 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.

Report cards

Milbank places higher on 14 of 21 SD lists

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 –MilbankNot graded
Schools
C+LeadBetter than 39% of districts in the state B+MilbankBetter than 67% of districts in the state
Health
BLeadHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns BMilbankHealthier than 61% of U.S. towns
7Lead
14Milbank

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 37 towns #30#1 Most remote workersWork · 37 towns #35#9 Highest graduation rateSchools · 33 towns #22#4 Best schoolsSchools · 34 towns #31#13 Highest incomeIncome · 37 towns #16#33 Fewest smokersHealth · 37 towns #32#15 Lowest depressionHealth · 37 towns #18#3 Most trailsOutdoors · 27 towns #3#13

Left end = #1 in South Dakota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Lead’s rankings →

Where they are

355 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LeadSDMilbankSD
Lead ↔ Milbank355 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.

LeadMilbank
People
Population 3,006Lowest 3,525Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.5%Lowest SD: +8.9% +5.7%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 46.5±13.1Lowest 22% above SD 50±7.6Highest 32% above SD
Milbank and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.7%±5.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 20.1%±3.9Highest SD: 24.2%
Milbank and Lead 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% 29.4%±6.1Highest SD: 18%
Milbank 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% 31.2%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.8Highest SD: 5% 0.8%±1Lowest SD: 5%
Lead and Milbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,047±$33kHighest about the SD average $56,011±$13kLowest 25% below SD
Lead and Milbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $189,400±$19kHighest 26% below SD $155,000±$21kLowest 40% below SD
Lead and Milbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $835±$81Highest 12% below SD $548±$364Lowest 42% below SD
Lead and Milbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,864Highest 32% below SD $1,630Lowest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.9%±15.1Highest SD: 39.8% 29.7%±21Lowest SD: 39.8%
Lead and Milbank 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% 13.2%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 69.8%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1972Highest 8 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 9 minLowest 49% below SD
Work from home 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7% 10.3%±6.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 18%Lowest 51.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.3 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.62Lowest 1.44Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Deadwood (38%)Sioux Falls (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MilbankFew work in Lead
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 3.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.7 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 0.7 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 99.5Highest 81.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #31 of 34 in SD#13 of 34 in SD
School district Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Milbank School District 25-4
High school in town Lead-Deadwood High School - 01Milbank High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 10.7Lowest 12.2Highest
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.

Milbank neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Milbank’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lead and Milbank

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
Custer2,341 people · $236K homes
+ Compare
Fort Pierre2,410 people · $221K 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.

Post to Lead

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in