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Compare towns

Murdo vs Montrose

177 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+81% in Montrose) and work in town (+36.2 pts in Murdo).

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Murdo, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 599 people
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Montrose, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 483 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.

MurdoKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 92%of SD districts HistorySettled in 19071 place on the National Register All about Murdo →
MontroseA history town
HistorySettled in 188029 archive photos, postcards and papers Housing$383K typical home19% above the SD typical home All about Montrose →
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.

Home values+81%
Homes cost more in Montrose
Montrose $239,700Murdo $132,400
Work in town+36.2 pts
More of Murdo’s workers stay in town
Murdo 41.2%Montrose 5%
Average commute12 min
Murdo has the shorter commute
Montrose 24 minMurdo 12 min
Jobs per worker2.4×
Murdo is more of a job hub
Murdo 1.16Montrose 0.48
Property tax bill+36%
Tax bills are bigger in Montrose
Montrose $2,339Murdo $1,726
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,480 more a month in Montrose

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.

Murdo$840/mo
Typical home $132K (Census) · tax rate 1.30% · or rent about $534/mo · Housing →
Montrose$2,320/mo
Typical home $383K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $663/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,800 a year, between Montrose and Murdo.

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
AMurdoBetter than 92% of districts in the state BMontroseBetter than 60% 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
MurdoMontrose
Snow a year49″31″
January low12°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)158d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th52nd
Outdoors & history
MurdoMontrose
Settled19071880
National Register places1—
Archive photos1829
Community
MurdoMontrose
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

177 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MurdoSDMontroseSD
Murdo ↔ Montrose177 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.

MurdoMontrose
People
Population 599Highest 483Lowest
Median age 33.7±15.3Lowest 11% below SD 35.6±11.6Highest 6% below SD
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29%±13.9Highest SD: 24.2% 22.6%±3.6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Murdo and Montrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.9%±9.9Highest SD: 18% 12.6%±2.7Lowest SD: 18%
Murdo and Montrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.7%Lowest SD: 31.9% 26%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.3%±2.4Lowest SD: 5% 5.6%±3.3Highest SD: 5%
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,045±$23kLowest 11% below SD $78,125±$13kHighest 4% above SD
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $132,400±$41kLowest 49% below SD $239,700±$53kHighest 7% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $534±$335Lowest 44% below SD $663±$61Highest 30% below SD
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,726Lowest 37% below SD $2,339Highest 14% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 4.1%±35.8Lowest SD: 39.8% 29.2%±48Highest SD: 39.8%
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.4%Lowest SD: 68.6% 74.1%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD 1982Highest 2 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 24 minHighest 34% above SD
Work from home 3.6%±4.2Lowest SD: 9.7% 3.7%±2.4Highest SD: 9.7%
Montrose and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 41.2%Highest 5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 33.3 miHighest 24.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.16Highest 0.48Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (7%)Sioux Falls (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MontroseFew work in Murdo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.1%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 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 116Highest 103Lowest
Schools
School district Jones County School District 37-3Montrose School District 43-2
High school in town Jones County High School - 01Montrose High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 7.4Lowest 11.3Highest
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.

Montrose neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Montrose’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Murdo

B
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Buffalo Township20 people

Towns like Murdo

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White484 people · $129K homes
W
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Wolsey692 people · $101K homes
I
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Ipswich1,048 people · $165K homes
E
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Estelline831 people · $142K 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.

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