Compare towns
Letcher vs Volin 81 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.2× in Letcher) and typical home built (20 yrs in Volin).
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Volin, SD A small town of 139 South Dakota · 139 people
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.
Letcher A small town of 171
Quiet strengths Letcher doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Letcher →
Volin A small town of 139
Quiet strengths Volin doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Volin →
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.
★ What stands out · Monthly cost A typical home costs $1,100 more a month in Volin 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 payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Letcher $670 /mo
Typical home $102K (Census) · tax rate 1.58% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →
Volin $1,770 /mo
Typical home $307K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · Housing →
The difference: $1,100 a month , about $13,200 a year , between Volin and Letcher.
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 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.
Outdoors & history
National Register places 2 3 Famous people born here 1 —
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 81 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Letcher ↔ Volin 81 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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
171 Highest 139 Lowest
Median age
38.4 ±8.2 Lowest about the SD average 39.3 ±13 Highest 3% above SD
Kids under 18
29.2% ±10.4 Highest SD: 24.2% 26.6% ±14 Lowest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+
16.4% ±11.3 Highest SD: 18% 11.5% ±22.2 Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
17.9% Highest SD: 31.9% 16.7% Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
11.1% ±8.2 Highest SD: 5% 3.6% ±8.3 Lowest SD: 5%
Household incomemedian
$81,042 ±$24k Lowest 8% above SD $112,557 ±$101k Highest 50% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$102,100 ±$18k Lowest 60% below SD $115,600 ±$20k Highest 55% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly
$725 ±$195 23% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly
$1,614 Highest 41% below SD $723 Lowest 73% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
85.7% ±78.5 Highest SD: 39.8% 11.8% ±100 Lowest SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line
24% Highest SD: 11.9% 2.9% Lowest SD: 11.9%
Homeownersof occupied homes
80% Highest SD: 68.6% 74.6% Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year
1958 Highest 22 yrs older than SD 1938 Lowest 42 yrs older than SD
Average commuteone way
21 min Lowest 20% above SD 24 min Highest 35% above SD
Work from home
6.6% ±5 Highest SD: 9.7% 1.2% ±3.7 Lowest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents
1.5% Highest 0% Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
15.3 mi Lowest 16.3 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.21 Highest 0.19 Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town
Woonsocket (19%) Yankton (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Volin Few work in Letcher
Conserved landshare of the town
0.5% Highest 0% Lowest
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
57.9 Lowest 72.5 Highest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Letcher or Volin: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Letcher? → Moving to Letcher: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Letcher’s Town Square.
Volin or Letcher: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Volin? → Moving to Volin: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Volin’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Letcher and Volin One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Letcher 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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