Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Milbank vs Lead

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

×
Milbank, SDHomes around $237KSouth Dakota · 3,525 people
×
Lead, SDAn outdoors townSouth Dakota · 3,006 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.

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.

★ 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.

Milbank$1,450/mo
Typical home $237K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $548/mo · Housing →
Lead$2,350/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $835/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
MilbankLead
Snow a year32″184″
January low—18°F
July high—82°F
Growing season (days)—133d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th54th
Outdoors & history
MilbankLead
Trails2 mi4 mi
Conserved land3.2%0.8%
Settled18801876
National Register places62
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here59
Community
MilbankLead
Library hours a week45 hrs40 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.

Where they are

355 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Milbank ↔ Lead355 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.

MilbankLead
People
Population 3,525Highest 3,006Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.7%Highest SD: +8.9% -4.5%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 50±7.6Highest 32% above SD 46.5±13.1Lowest 22% 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 20.1%±3.9Highest SD: 24.2% 14.7%±5.1Lowest 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+ 29.4%±6.1Highest SD: 18% 27.2%±7.3Lowest 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+ 31.2%Highest SD: 31.9% 20.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.8%±1Lowest SD: 5% 1.8%±1.8Highest 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 $56,011±$13kLowest 25% below SD $73,047±$33kHighest about the SD average
Lead and Milbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $155,000±$21kLowest 40% below SD $189,400±$19kHighest 26% 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 $548±$364Lowest 42% below SD $835±$81Highest 12% 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 $1,630Lowest 40% below SD $1,864Highest 32% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.7%±21Lowest SD: 39.8% 30.9%±15.1Highest 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 13.2%Highest SD: 11.9% 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.8%Lowest SD: 68.6% 70.3%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 8 yrs older than SD 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 9 minLowest 49% below SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 10.3%±6.2Highest SD: 9.7% 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 51.3%Highest 18%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 1.3 miLowest 3.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.44Highest 0.62Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (5%)Deadwood (38%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LeadFew work in Milbank
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miLowest 3.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.3Lowest 99.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #13 of 34 in SD#31 of 34 in SD
School district Milbank School District 25-4Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1
High school in town Milbank High School - 01Lead-Deadwood High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 12.2Highest 10.7Lowest
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.

Milbank neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Milbank’s Town Square.

Lead neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lead’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Milbank and Lead

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

Bordering Milbank

Towns like Milbank

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 Milbank

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