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Monroe vs New Effington

164 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (21.5× in New Effington) and rent (+47% in Monroe).

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Monroe, SDA small town of 233South Dakota · 233 people
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New Effington, SDA small town of 269South Dakota · 269 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.

MonroeA small town of 233
Quiet strengthsMonroe doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Monroe →
New EffingtonA small town of 269
Quiet strengthsNew Effington doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about New Effington →
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 about the same each month

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.

Monroe$310/mo
Typical home $49K (Census) · tax rate 1.26% · or rent about $750/mo · Housing →
New Effington$420/mo
Typical home $68K (Census) · tax rate 1.09% · or rent about $510/mo · Housing →

The difference: $110 a month, about $1,300 a year, between New Effington and Monroe.

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.

Seasons
MonroeNew Effington
Snow a year41″49″
January low—1°F
July high—82°F
Growing season (days)—152d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th41st
Outdoors & history
MonroeNew Effington
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—1.7%
Settled19011914
National Register places—1
Archive photos—4
Community
MonroeNew Effington
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

164 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Monroe ↔ New Effington164 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.

MonroeNew Effington
People
Population 233Lowest 269Highest
Median age 33.8±11.8Highest 11% below SD 32.5±8.2Lowest 14% below SD
Monroe and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.9%±8.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 29.4%±9Highest SD: 24.2%
New Effington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.2%±11.2Lowest SD: 18% 14.9%±6.6Highest SD: 18%
New Effington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.7% SD: 31.9% 6.7% SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.3%±7Highest SD: 5% 2.2%±3Lowest SD: 5%
Monroe and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,250±$25kHighest 32% below SD $50,208±$7kLowest 33% below SD
Monroe and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $48,900±$23kLowest 81% below SD $68,000±$27kHighest 74% below SD
New Effington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $750±$93Highest 21% below SD $510±$67Lowest 46% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $614Lowest 77% below SD $740Highest 73% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.9%±80.2Highest SD: 39.8% 19.4%±34.5Lowest SD: 39.8%
Monroe and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 24.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 20.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.6%Highest SD: 68.6% 68%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1948Lowest 32 yrs older than SD 1955Highest 25 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 71% above SD 17 minLowest about the SD average
Work from home 16.7%±17.2Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±9Lowest SD: 9.7%
Monroe and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.8 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.02Lowest 0.43Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (44%)Sisseton (41%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in New EffingtonFew work in Monroe
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 55.5Lowest 101Highest
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.

Monroe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Monroe’s Town Square.

New Effington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to New Effington’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Monroe

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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