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 paymentRate%

Lead$2,350/mo

Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →

Rapid Valley$1,560/mo

Typical home $256K (Census) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $1,174/mo · Housing →

The difference: $790 a month, about $9,500 a year, between Lead and Rapid Valley.

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 135 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

LeadRapid Valley

Snow a year184″49″

January low18°F 13°F

July high82°F 86°F

Growing season (days)133d 139d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th 60th

Outdoors & history

LeadRapid Valley

Trails4 mi —

Conserved land0.8%—

Settled1876 —

National Register places2 —

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here9 —

Community

LeadRapid Valley

Library hours a week40 hrs —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

Rapid Valley places higher on 9 of 17 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 –Rapid ValleyNot graded

Schools

C+LeadBetter than 39% of districts in the state CRapid ValleyBetter than 29% of districts in the state

Health

BLeadHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns B+Rapid ValleyHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns

7Lead

9Rapid Valley

Lists won, of 17 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #3#27 Most remote workersWork · 37 towns #35#12 Cheapest rentCost of living · 34 towns #10#28 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 37 towns #12#26 Most affordableCost of living · 37 towns #6#19 Lowest property taxCost of living · 37 towns #4#16 Most activeHealth · 37 towns #25#16 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 37 towns #20#12

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

Where they are

38 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LeadSD Rapid ValleySD

Lead ↔ Rapid Valley38 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.

Only big differences vs South Dakota average

LeadRapid Valley

People

Population 3,006Lowest 6,975Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.5%Lowest SD: +8.9% -2%Highest SD: +8.9%

Median age 46.5±13.1Highest 22% above SD 43.2±4.8Lowest 14% above SD

Lead and Rapid Valley 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% 18.6%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2%

Rapid Valley and Lead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 27.2%±7.3Highest SD: 18% 18.5%±3.3Lowest SD: 18%

Lead and Rapid Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 19.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.8Lowest SD: 5% 3.1%±1.5Highest SD: 5%

Rapid Valley 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 $83,208±$12kHighest 11% above SD

Rapid Valley 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 $255,500±$14kHighest about the SD average

Rentmedian gross, monthly $835±$81Lowest 12% below SD $1,174±$202Highest 24% above SD

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,864Lowest 32% below SD $2,612Highest 4% below SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.9%±15.1Highest SD: 39.8% 12.5%±15Lowest SD: 39.8%

Lead and Rapid Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 7.5%Highest SD: 11.9% 4.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 92.3%Highest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 20 minLowest 11% above SD

Work from home 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7% 9.2%±4.3Highest SD: 9.7%

Work in townworking residents 18%Highest 1.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.3 miLowest 4.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.62Highest 0.11Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Deadwood (38%)Rapid City (76%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Rapid ValleyFew work in Lead

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Highest 0%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 3.7 miHighest 0.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 99.5Highest 35.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #31 of 34 in SD #33 of 34 in SD

School district Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Rapid City Area School District 51-4

High school in town Lead-Deadwood High School - 01None in town

Students per teacherat that high school 10.7 —

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.

Rapid Valley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rapid Valley’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lead and Rapid Valley

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

Bordering Lead

+ 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

Milbank3,525 people · $155K 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.

Lead vs Rapid Valley

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $790 more a month in Lead

Lead gets 135 more inches of snow a year

Rapid Valley places higher on 9 of 17 SD lists

38 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Lead and Rapid Valley

Bordering Lead

Towns like Lead

Post to Lead

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