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Compare towns

Leola vs Hurley

192 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+70% in Hurley) and jobs per worker (3× in Leola).

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Leola, SDA small town of 381South Dakota · 381 people
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Hurley, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 394 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.

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 →
HurleyKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 18%of SD districts HistorySettled in 18833 places on the National Register All about Hurley →
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.

Home values+70%
Homes cost more in Hurley
Hurley $111,200Leola $65,400
Jobs per worker3×
Leola is more of a job hub
Leola 0.84Hurley 0.28
Work in town+10.6 pts
More of Leola’s workers stay in town
Leola 12.2%Hurley 1.6%
Homeowners+8.5 pts renters
Leola has more renters
Hurley 89.2%Leola 80.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,410 more a month in Hurley

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 →
Hurley$1,910/mo
Typical home $291K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.57% · or rent about $775/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,410 a month, about $16,900 a year, between Hurley 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 C−HurleyBetter than 18% 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
LeolaHurley
Snow a year34″31″
January low3°F7°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)143d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th46th
Outdoors & history
LeolaHurley
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled18841883
National Register places13
Archive photos—4
Community
LeolaHurley
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

192 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LeolaSDHurleySD
Leola ↔ Hurley192 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.

LeolaHurley
People
Population 381Lowest 394Highest
Median age 38.9±10.3Highest about the SD average 37.9±9.1Lowest about the SD average
Leola and Hurley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.6%±3.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 32.2%±6.2Highest SD: 24.2%
Hurley and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.9%±5.3Highest SD: 18% 17.3%±3.6Lowest SD: 18%
Leola and Hurley 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% 25.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±2.9Highest SD: 5% 1.5%±3.1Lowest SD: 5%
Leola and Hurley 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 $73,750±$15kHighest about the SD average
Hurley 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 $111,200±$15kHighest 57% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $843±$139Highest 11% below SD $775±$251Lowest 18% below SD
Leola and Hurley 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 $1,742Lowest 36% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 19.2%±55.8Lowest SD: 39.8% 25%±100Highest SD: 39.8%
Hurley and Leola are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.3%Lowest SD: 11.9% 10.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 89.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Highest 24 yrs older than SD 1951Lowest 29 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 56% above SD 28 minLowest 55% above SD
Work from home 5.8%±5.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 8.2%±4.3Highest SD: 9.7%
Hurley 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%Highest 1.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 32.8 miHighest 22.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.84Highest 0.28Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Eureka (18%)Sioux Falls (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HurleyFew work in Leola
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 105Highest 75.3Lowest
Schools
School district Leola School District 44-2Viborg-Hurley School District 60-6
High school in town Leola High School - 01None in town
Students per teacherat that high school 7.0 —
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.

Hurley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hurley’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Leola and Hurley

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Towns like Leola

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Bruce290 people · $114K homes
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Langford481 people · $125K homes
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Bison406 people · $82K homes
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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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