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Compare towns

Oacoma vs Canistota

105 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (8.6× in Canistota) and conserved land (+59.6 pts in Oacoma).

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Oacoma, SDA small town of 548South Dakota · 548 people
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Canistota, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 711 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.

OacomaA small town of 548
Quiet strengthsOacoma doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oacoma →
CanistotaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 92%of SD districts HistorySettled in 18831 place on the National Register All about Canistota →
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.

Street grid8.6×
Canistota has the more walkable street grid
Canistota 102Oacoma 11.9
Conserved land+59.6 pts
Oacoma has more conserved land
Oacoma 59.6%Canistota 0%
Property tax bill+75%
Tax bills are bigger in Canistota
Canistota $2,620Oacoma $1,494
Typical home built38 yrs
Canistota’s homes are older
Oacoma 1988Canistota 1950
Age 65++13.1 pts
Oacoma has more people 65 and up
Oacoma 26.6%Canistota 13.5%
Average commute10 min
Oacoma has the shorter commute
Canistota 25 minOacoma 15 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,060 more a month in Canistota

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.

Oacoma$1,020/mo
Typical home $172K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $883/mo · Housing →
Canistota$2,090/mo
Typical home $305K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.91% · or rent about $975/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,060 a month, about $12,800 a year, between Canistota and Oacoma.

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
–OacomaNot graded ACanistotaBetter than 92% 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
OacomaCanistota
Snow a year43″31″
January low9°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)156d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th55th
Outdoors & history
OacomaCanistota
Settled—1883
National Register places—1
Archive photos—14
Famous people born here—2
Community
OacomaCanistota
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

105 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OacomaSDCanistotaSD
Oacoma ↔ Canistota105 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.

OacomaCanistota
People
Population 548Lowest 711Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -3.8% SD: +8.9%
Median age 40.2±6.3Highest 6% above SD 36.1±7.8Lowest 5% below SD
Oacoma and Canistota are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.4%±7.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 28.6%±6Highest SD: 24.2%
Canistota and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.6%±5.8Highest SD: 18% 13.5%±6.3Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 17.1%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±3.4Highest SD: 5% 0.4%±1.6Lowest SD: 5%
Oacoma and Canistota are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,333±$26kLowest about the SD average $76,250±$18kHighest about the SD average
Canistota and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $171,700±$82kHighest 33% below SD $137,000±$28kLowest 47% below SD
Oacoma and Canistota are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $883±$105Lowest 7% below SD $975±$495Highest 3% above SD
Canistota and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,494Lowest 45% below SD $2,620Highest 4% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.4%±51.5Lowest SD: 39.8% 45.7%±47.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Canistota and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 14%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 83.1%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD 1950Lowest 30 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 16% below SD 25 minHighest 40% above SD
Work from home 6.1%±7.1Lowest SD: 9.7% 13.1%±5.1Highest SD: 9.7%
Canistota and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7%Lowest 9.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 34.8 miHighest 27.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.49Highest 0.73Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Presho (10%)Sioux Falls (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CanistotaFew work in Oacoma
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 59.6%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 11.9Lowest 102Highest
Schools
School district —Canistota School District 43-1
High school in town —Canistota High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 12.1
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.

Oacoma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oacoma’s Town Square.

Canistota neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Canistota’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oacoma and Canistota

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Bordering Oacoma

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Oacoma Township51 people · $893K homes
C
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Chamberlain Township307 people · $287K homes
C
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Chamberlain2,588 people · $224K homes

Towns like Oacoma

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Gayville519 people · $99K homes
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Langford481 people · $125K homes
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Burke708 people · $150K homes
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Arlington920 people · $144K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks South Dakota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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