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Compare towns

Leola vs Bison

171 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (17 min in Bison) and street grid (2.4× in Leola).

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Leola, SDA small town of 381South Dakota · 381 people
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Bison, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 406 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.

LeolaA small town of 381
Quiet strengthsLeola doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Leola →
BisonA regional job hub
Work226 jobsbased in Bison, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 10%of SD districts Housing$182K typical home44% below the SD typical home All about Bison →
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.

Average commute17 min
Bison has the shorter commute
Leola 28 minBison 11 min
Street grid2.4×
Leola has the more walkable street grid
Leola 105Bison 43.8
Property tax bill+39%
Tax bills are bigger in Leola
Leola $1,868Bison $1,342
Jobs per worker2.2×
Bison is more of a job hub
Bison 1.81Leola 0.84
Trails2×
Bison has more miles of trail
Bison 1.0 miLeola 0.5 mi
Bachelor’s degree++8.8 pts
More adults in Leola have a degree
Leola 31.4%Bison 22.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $700 more a month in Bison

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.

Leola$500/mo
Typical home $65K (Census) · tax rate 2.86% · or rent about $843/mo · Housing →
Bison$1,200/mo
Typical home $182K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.64% · or rent about $932/mo · Housing →

The difference: $700 a month, about $8,400 a year, between Bison and Leola.

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
BLeolaBetter than 60% of districts in the state DBisonBetter than 10% 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
LeolaBison
Snow a year34″40″
January low3°F10°F
July high84°F86°F
Growing season (days)143d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th54th
Outdoors & history
LeolaBison
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—0%
National Register places11
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—1
Community
LeolaBison
Library hours a week20 hrs20 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

171 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LeolaSDBisonSD
Leola ↔ Bison171 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.

LeolaBison
People
Population 381Lowest 406Highest
Median age 38.9±10.3Lowest about the SD average 43±8.3Highest 13% above SD
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.6%±3.2Highest SD: 24.2% 26.1%±6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Leola and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.9%±5.3Lowest SD: 18% 24.9%±5.6Highest SD: 18%
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.4%Highest SD: 31.9% 22.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±2.9Highest SD: 5% 0.5%±2.6Lowest SD: 5%
Leola and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $71,250±$17kLowest 5% below SD $71,607±$25kHighest 5% below SD
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $65,400±$10kLowest 75% below SD $82,000±$34kHighest 68% below SD
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $843±$139Lowest 11% below SD $932±$266Highest about the SD average
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,868Highest 31% below SD $1,342Lowest 51% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 19.2%±55.8Lowest SD: 39.8% 28.3%±28.4Highest SD: 39.8%
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.3%Highest SD: 11.9% 4.9%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 75.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 24 yrs older than SD 1963Highest 17 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 56% above SD 11 minLowest 40% below SD
Work from home 5.8%±5.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 11%±12.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Bison and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 12.2%Lowest 18.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.8 miHighest 32.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Lowest 1.81Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Eureka (18%)Lemmon (43%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BisonFew work in Leola
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 105Highest 43.8Lowest
Schools
School district Leola School District 44-2Bison School District 52-1
High school in town Leola High School - 01Bison High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 7.0Lowest 8.8Highest
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.

Leola neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Leola’s Town Square.

Bison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bison’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Leola

B
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Bruce290 people · $114K homes
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Langford481 people · $125K homes
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Hurley394 people · $111K homes
S
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Stickney284 people · $132K 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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