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Onida vs Alexandria

135 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (+47% in Alexandria) and work in town (+27 pts in Onida).

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Onida, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 644 people
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Alexandria, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 692 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.

OnidaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts Housing$253K typical home21% below the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18802 places on the National Register All about Onida →
AlexandriaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 80%of SD districts All about Alexandria →
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.

Household income+47%
Households in Alexandria earn more
Alexandria $102,679Onida $70,000
Work in town+27 pts
More of Onida’s workers stay in town
Onida 34%Alexandria 7%
Jobs per worker2.5×
Onida is more of a job hub
Onida 1.24Alexandria 0.50
Property tax bill+31%
Tax bills are bigger in Alexandria
Alexandria $2,149Onida $1,636
Rent+21%
Rent runs higher in Onida
Onida $939Alexandria $775
Growth since 2010+4.3 pts
Alexandria has grown faster since 2010
Alexandria +5.5%Onida +1.2%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Onida

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.

Onida$1,520/mo
Typical home $253K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $939/mo · Housing →
Alexandria$1,120/mo
Typical home $180K (Census) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $775/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,700 a year, between Onida and Alexandria.

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
B+OnidaBetter than 71% of districts in the state A−AlexandriaBetter than 80% 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
OnidaAlexandria
Snow a year49″36″
January low7°F6°F
July high87°F84°F
Growing season (days)147d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)67th55th
Outdoors & history
OnidaAlexandria
Settled18801880
National Register places2—
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here4—
Community
OnidaAlexandria
Library hours a week16 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

135 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OnidaSDAlexandriaSD
Onida ↔ Alexandria135 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.

OnidaAlexandria
People
Population 644Lowest 692Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.2%Lowest SD: +8.9% +5.5%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 42.2±10.3Highest 11% above SD 40.6±4.8Lowest 7% above SD
Onida and Alexandria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.2%±5.2Highest SD: 24.2% 21.8%±5.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Onida and Alexandria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.4%±4.7Highest SD: 18% 19.5%±5.9Lowest SD: 18%
Onida and Alexandria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 32.7%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2%±1.6Lowest SD: 5% 3.6%±1.8Highest SD: 5%
Alexandria and Onida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $70,000±$8kLowest 7% below SD $102,679±$22kHighest 37% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $178,600±$30kLowest 31% below SD $180,200±$16kHighest 30% below SD
Alexandria and Onida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $939±$98Highest about the SD average $775±$10Lowest 18% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,636Lowest 40% below SD $2,149Highest 21% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.1%±33.2Highest SD: 39.8% 2.9%±49.8Lowest SD: 39.8%
Onida and Alexandria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.9%Highest SD: 11.9% 3.3%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Lowest SD: 68.6% 83.4%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Highest 6 yrs older than SD 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest about the SD average 19 minHighest 4% above SD
Work from home 6%±4.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.7%±3.5Highest SD: 9.7%
Alexandria and Onida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34%Highest 7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.24Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Pierre (15%)Mitchell (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AlexandriaFew work in Onida
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
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 90.1Lowest 117Highest
Schools
School district Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3Hanson School District 30-1
High school in town Sully Buttes High School - 07Hanson High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 9.6Lowest 12.3Highest
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.

Onida neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Onida’s Town Square.

Alexandria neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alexandria’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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