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Murdo vs Buffalo Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (290.3× in Murdo) and size (30× in Murdo).

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Murdo, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 599 people
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Buffalo Township, SDA small town of 20Jones County · 20 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.

Buffalo TownshipA small town of 20
Quiet strengthsBuffalo Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Buffalo Township →
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 · Where they are

Murdo and Buffalo Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MurdoBuffalo TownshipMurdoBuffalo Township
Murdo ↔ Buffalo Township3.8 miles apart · They share a border
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.

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
MurdoBuffalo Township
Snow a year49″49″
January low12°F12°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)158d158d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th48th
Outdoors & history
MurdoBuffalo Township
Trails—30 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled1907—
National Register places11
Archive photos182
Famous people born here—1
Community
MurdoBuffalo Township
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.

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.

MurdoBuffalo Township
People
Population 599Highest 20Lowest
Median age 33.7±15.3 11% below SD —
Kids under 18 29%±13.9Highest SD: 24.2% 0%±100Lowest SD: 24.2%
Murdo and Buffalo Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.9%±9.9Lowest SD: 18% 55%±100Highest SD: 18%
Buffalo Township and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.7%Highest SD: 31.9% 0%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.3%±2.4Highest SD: 5% 0%±70.7Lowest SD: 5%
Murdo and Buffalo Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,045±$23k 11% below SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $132,400±$41k 49% below SD —
Rentmedian gross, monthly $534±$335 44% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,726 37% below SD —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 4.1%±35.8 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 21.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.4%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971 9 yrs older than SD —
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 min 33% below SD —
Work from home 3.6%±4.2Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±50Lowest SD: 9.7%
Murdo and Buffalo Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 41.2%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 33.3 miLowest 42.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.16Highest 0.57Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (7%)Murdo (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Buffalo Township29% work in Murdo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 30.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 116Highest 0.4Lowest
Schools
School district Jones County School District 37-3—
High school in town Jones County High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 7.4 —
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.

Murdo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Murdo’s Town Square.

Buffalo Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buffalo Township’s Town Square.

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Towns like Murdo

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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