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Compare towns

North Eagle Butte vs Timber Lake

29 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (8.5× in Timber Lake) and trails (10× in North Eagle Butte).

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North Eagle Butte, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,481 people
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Timber Lake, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 779 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.

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 $300 more a month in Timber Lake

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.

North Eagle Butte$220/mo
Typical home $33K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $727/mo · Housing →
Timber Lake$530/mo
Typical home $81K (Census) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $546/mo · Housing →

The difference: $300 a month, about $3,600 a year, between Timber Lake and North Eagle Butte.

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.

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
North Eagle ButteTimber Lake
Snow a year37″41″
January low—7°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)14th55th
Outdoors & history
North Eagle ButteTimber Lake
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled—1911
National Register places—1
Archive photos1—
Community
North Eagle ButteTimber Lake
Library hours a week—36 hrs
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

29 miles apart

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

North Eagle ButteTimber LakeNorth Eagle ButteTimber Lake
North Eagle Butte ↔ Timber Lake29 miles apart
Who commutes between them
40 Timber Lake residents work in North Eagle Butte (24.2% of its workers)
18 North Eagle Butte residents work in Timber Lake (4.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Timber Lake →
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.

North Eagle ButteTimber Lake
People
Population 1,481Highest 779Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.8% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 23.7±2.2Lowest 38% below SD 23.8±3Highest 37% below SD
Timber Lake and North Eagle Butte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 37.3%±5.9Lowest SD: 24.2% 42.6%±4.4Highest SD: 24.2%
Timber Lake and North Eagle Butte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 8.7%±2.2Highest SD: 18% 6.8%±2.9Lowest SD: 18%
North Eagle Butte and Timber Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10%Lowest SD: 31.9% 22.9%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.4%±2.2Highest SD: 5% 2.2%±1.8Lowest SD: 5%
North Eagle Butte and Timber Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $34,358±$5kLowest 54% below SD $60,694±$8kHighest 19% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $33,100±$9kLowest 87% below SD $81,400±$24kHighest 68% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $727±$163Highest 23% below SD $546±$232Lowest 42% below SD
North Eagle Butte and Timber Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,198 56% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.1%±14.1Highest SD: 39.8% 20.5%±17Lowest SD: 39.8%
North Eagle Butte and Timber Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 52.6%Highest SD: 11.9% 15.8%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 41.4%Lowest SD: 68.6% 63.5%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 5 yrs older than SD 1964Lowest 16 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 31% below SD 30 minHighest 71% above SD
Work from home 8.4%±7.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 8.7%±8.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Timber Lake and North Eagle Butte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 52.9%Highest 21.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 0.8 miLowest 30.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.30Lowest 2.72Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Eagle Butte (21%)North Eagle Butte (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 4% work in Timber Lake24% work in North Eagle Butte
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 10.1Lowest 85.8Highest
Schools
School district —Timber Lake School District 20-3
High school in town —Timber Lake High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 12.9
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.

North Eagle Butte neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to North Eagle Butte’s Town Square.

Timber Lake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Timber Lake’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside North Eagle Butte and Timber Lake

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Bordering North Eagle Butte

Towns like North Eagle Butte

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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