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Compare towns

New Effington vs Alpena

136 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (19.9× in Alpena) and street grid (5.2× in New Effington).

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New Effington, SDA small town of 269South Dakota · 269 people
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Alpena, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 317 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.

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.

New Effington$420/mo
Typical home $68K (Census) · tax rate 1.09% · or rent about $510/mo · Housing →
Alpena$320/mo
Typical home $52K (Census) · tax rate 1.18% · or rent about $925/mo · Housing →

The difference: $100 a month, about $1,100 a year, between New Effington and Alpena.

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
New EffingtonAlpena
Snow a year49″45″
January low1°F7°F
July high82°F84°F
Growing season (days)152d157d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st61st
Outdoors & history
New EffingtonAlpena
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land1.7%—
Settled19141883
National Register places11
Archive photos42
Famous people born here—2
Community
New EffingtonAlpena
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

136 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

New Effington ↔ Alpena136 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.

New EffingtonAlpena
People
Population 269Lowest 317Highest
Median age 32.5±8.2Lowest 14% below SD 35.3±6.5Highest 7% below SD
Alpena and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.4%±9Highest SD: 24.2% 27.8%±5.5Lowest SD: 24.2%
New Effington and Alpena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.9%±6.6Lowest SD: 18% 15.5%±9.4Highest SD: 18%
Alpena and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.7%Highest SD: 31.9% 5.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±3Highest SD: 5% 1.6%±3.7Lowest SD: 5%
New Effington and Alpena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $50,208±$7kLowest 33% below SD $66,667±$25kHighest 11% below SD
Alpena and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $68,000±$27kHighest 74% below SD $51,800±$11kLowest 80% below SD
New Effington and Alpena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $510±$67Lowest 46% below SD $925±$212Highest about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $740Highest 73% below SD $611Lowest 78% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 19.4%±34.5Highest SD: 39.8% 11.5%±68Lowest SD: 39.8%
New Effington and Alpena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 6.6%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68%Lowest SD: 68.6% 78.5%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Highest 25 yrs older than SD 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest about the SD average 14 minLowest 20% below SD
Work from home 0%±9Lowest SD: 9.7% 7.6%±6Highest SD: 9.7%
Alpena and New Effington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.5%Lowest 15.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.43Lowest 8.57Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sisseton (41%)Wessington Springs (39%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AlpenaFew work in New Effington
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.7%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 101Highest 19.5Lowest
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.

New Effington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to New Effington’s Town Square.

Alpena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alpena’s Town Square.

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Towns like New Effington

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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