Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Miller vs Clear Lake

114 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3.9× in Miller) and property tax bill (+39% in Clear Lake).

×
Miller, SDHomes around $199KSouth Dakota · 1,363 people
×
Clear Lake, SDA small town of 1,327South Dakota · 1,327 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.

MillerHomes around $199K
Housing$199K typical home38% below the SD typical home History17 archive photos & papers4 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 69%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Miller →
Clear LakeA small town of 1,327
Quiet strengthsClear Lake doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Clear Lake →
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.

Street grid3.9×
Miller has the more walkable street grid
Miller 117Clear Lake 30.3
Property tax bill+39%
Tax bills are bigger in Clear Lake
Clear Lake $1,902Miller $1,373
Average commute9 min
Miller has the shorter commute
Clear Lake 20 minMiller 11 min
Growth since 2010+5.1 pts
Clear Lake has grown faster since 2010
Clear Lake -4.3%Miller -9.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Miller

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.

Miller$1,190/mo
Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.88% · or rent about $564/mo · Housing →
Clear Lake$1,010/mo
Typical home $163K (Census) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $663/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,100 a year, between Miller and Clear Lake.

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
BMillerBetter than 59% of districts in the state C+Clear LakeBetter than 40% of districts in the state
Health
B+MillerHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns BClear LakeHealthier than 56% of U.S. towns
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
MillerClear Lake
Snow a year44″61″
January low7°F2°F
July high85°F80°F
Growing season (days)152d146d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd47th
Outdoors & history
MillerClear Lake
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
National Register places41
Archive photos17—
Famous people born here6—
Community
MillerClear Lake
Library hours a week27 hrs33 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

114 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MillerSDClear LakeSD
Miller ↔ Clear Lake114 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.

MillerClear Lake
People
Population 1,363Highest 1,327Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.4%Lowest SD: +8.9% -4.3%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 41.9±8.4Lowest 10% above SD 43.1±5.4Highest 13% above SD
Clear Lake and Miller are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.3%±5Highest SD: 24.2% 22.8%±3.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Miller and Clear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.3%±3.4Highest SD: 18% 25.5%±5Lowest SD: 18%
Miller and Clear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 26.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±2.2Lowest SD: 5% 6.6%±3.9Highest SD: 5%
Clear Lake and Miller are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $57,500±$12kLowest 23% below SD $84,792±$24kHighest 13% above SD
Clear Lake and Miller are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $155,200±$16kLowest 40% below SD $162,500±$17kHighest 37% below SD
Clear Lake and Miller are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $564±$43Lowest 40% below SD $663±$118Highest 30% below SD
Clear Lake and Miller are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,373Lowest 50% below SD $1,902Highest 30% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.2%±10.9Highest SD: 39.8% 27.1%±13.7Lowest SD: 39.8%
Miller and Clear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.6%Lowest SD: 11.9% 9.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.2%Lowest SD: 68.6% 73%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 13 yrs older than SD 1974Highest 6 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 11 minLowest 38% below SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 5%±3.1Highest SD: 9.7% 2.3%±2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Miller and Clear Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34.6%Highest 28.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 23.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Lowest 1.08Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Miller Township (7%)Watertown (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Clear LakeFew work in Miller
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 7.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 117Highest 30.3Lowest
Schools
School district Miller School District 29-4Deuel School District 19-4
High school in town Miller High School - 01Deuel High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 10.8Lowest 14.4Highest
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.

Miller neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Miller’s Town Square.

Clear Lake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Clear Lake’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Miller and Clear Lake

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

Towns like Miller

+ Compare
Salem1,216 people · $167K homes
W
+ Compare
Webster1,896 people · $154K homes
P
+ Compare
Parkston1,874 people · $157K homes
C
+ Compare
Corsica699 people · $163K 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.

Post to Miller

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