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Compare towns

Onida vs Wall

118 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3.1× in Onida) and work in town (+22.4 pts in Onida).

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Onida, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 644 people
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Wall, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 622 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 →
WallA regional job hub
Work468 jobsbased in Wall, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts All about Wall →
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.

Street grid3.1×
Onida has the more walkable street grid
Onida 90.1Wall 29.0
Work in town+22.4 pts
More of Onida’s workers stay in town
Onida 34%Wall 11.6%
Growth since 2010+9.9 pts
Onida has grown faster since 2010
Onida +1.2%Wall -8.7%
Seasonal homes+16.3 pts
Wall has more second homes
Wall 16.9%Onida 0.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Wall

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 →
Wall$2,000/mo
Typical home $327K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.04% · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Wall and Onida.

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 B+WallBetter than 71% 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
OnidaWall
Snow a year49″30″
January low7°F9°F
July high87°F89°F
Growing season (days)147d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)67th74th
Outdoors & history
OnidaWall
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0.3%
Settled18801908
National Register places2—
Archive photos56
Famous people born here41
Community
OnidaWall
Library hours a week16 hrs19 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

118 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OnidaSDWallSD
Onida ↔ Wall118 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.

OnidaWall
People
Population 644Highest 622Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.2%Highest SD: +8.9% -8.7%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 42.2±10.3Lowest 11% above SD 46.2±8.9Highest 22% above SD
Wall and Onida 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% 18.2%±5.6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.4%±4.7Lowest SD: 18% 24.1%±6.7Highest SD: 18%
Wall and Onida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 25.4%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2%±1.6Highest SD: 5% 1.8%±2.3Lowest SD: 5%
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $70,000±$8kHighest 7% below SD $58,984±$8kLowest 21% below SD
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $178,600±$30kHighest 31% below SD $164,800±$20kLowest 36% below SD
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $939±$98 about the SD average —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,636Lowest 40% below SD $1,709Highest 37% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.1%±33.2Highest SD: 39.8% 40.5%±53.6Lowest SD: 39.8%
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.9%Lowest SD: 11.9% 8.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Lowest SD: 68.6% 81.8%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Highest 6 yrs older than SD 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest about the SD average 17 minLowest 3% below SD
Work from home 6%±4.8Highest SD: 9.7% 4.7%±3.8Lowest SD: 9.7%
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34%Highest 11.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 48.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.24Lowest 1.70Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Pierre (15%)Rapid City (47%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WallFew work in Onida
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 90.1Highest 29.0Lowest
Schools
School district Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3Wall School District 51-5
High school in town Sully Buttes High School - 07Wall 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.

Wall neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wall’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Onida

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Whitewood912 people · $243K 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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