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Compare towns

Mount Vernon vs Ethan

18 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.3× in Ethan) and average commute (9 min in Mount Vernon).

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Mount Vernon, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 442 people
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Ethan, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 346 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.

Mount VernonKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 96%of SD districts All about Mount Vernon →
EthanKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 97%of SD districts All about Ethan →
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.

Jobs per worker2.3×
Ethan is more of a job hub
Ethan 0.70Mount Vernon 0.31
Average commute9 min
Mount Vernon has the shorter commute
Ethan 28 minMount Vernon 20 min
Typical home built24 yrs
Mount Vernon’s homes are older
Ethan 1962Mount Vernon 1938
Property tax bill+25%
Tax bills are bigger in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon $2,104Ethan $1,688
Homeowners+10.1 pts renters
Mount Vernon has more renters
Ethan 65.6%Mount Vernon 55.5%
★ 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.

Mount Vernon$1,830/mo
Typical home $290K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.28% · or rent about $386/mo · Housing →
Ethan$1,890/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $878/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Ethan and Mount Vernon.

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
A+Mount VernonBetter than 96% of districts in the state A+EthanBetter than 97% 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
Mount VernonEthan
Snow a year41″36″
January low9°F6°F
July high87°F84°F
Growing season (days)167d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th49th
Outdoors & history
Mount VernonEthan
National Register places1—
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here2—
Community
Mount VernonEthan
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

18 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Mount VernonEthanMount VernonEthan
Mount Vernon ↔ Ethan18 miles apart
Who commutes between them
7 Mount Vernon residents work in Ethan (3.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mount Vernon →
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.

Mount VernonEthan
People
Population 442Highest 346Lowest
Median age 28.8±2.1Highest 24% below SD 26.3±5.9Lowest 31% below SD
Mount Vernon and Ethan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.8%±6.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 37%±8.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.9%±3.5Highest SD: 18% 7.2%±5.8Lowest SD: 18%
Mount Vernon and Ethan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17%Lowest SD: 31.9% 17.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±1.6Lowest SD: 5% 4%±4Highest SD: 5%
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,357±$33kLowest 20% below SD $60,417±$11kHighest 20% below SD
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $164,400±$30kHighest 36% below SD $152,300±$33kLowest 41% below SD
Mount Vernon and Ethan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $386±$380Lowest 59% below SD $878±$200Highest 7% below SD
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,104Highest 23% below SD $1,688Lowest 38% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 12.9%±6.2Lowest SD: 39.8% 35.7%±38.6Highest SD: 39.8%
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 12.1%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 65.6%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1962Highest 18 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 11% above SD 28 minHighest 59% above SD
Work from home 9.4%±7.2Lowest SD: 9.7% 18%±10Highest SD: 9.7%
Ethan and Mount Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Lowest 2.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 mi 12.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.31Lowest 0.70Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Mitchell (45%)Mitchell (44%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in EthanFew work in Mount Vernon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
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 157Highest 146Lowest
Schools
School district Mount Vernon School District 17-3Ethan School District 17-1
High school in town Mount Vernon High School- 01Ethan High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 13.2Highest 11.3Lowest
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.

Mount Vernon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mount Vernon’s Town Square.

Ethan neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ethan’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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