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Philip vs Bridgewater

211 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.3× in Philip) and work in town (+43.9 pts in Philip).

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Philip, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 571 people
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Bridgewater, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 451 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.

PhilipA regional job hub
Work560 jobsbased in Philip, a regional job hub HistorySettled in 19072 places on the National Register All about Philip →
BridgewaterKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 86%of SD districts Housing$249K typical home23% below the SD typical home All about Bridgewater →
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.

Jobs per worker4.3×
Philip is more of a job hub
Philip 2.15Bridgewater 0.50
Work in town+43.9 pts
More of Philip’s workers stay in town
Philip 47.5%Bridgewater 3.6%
Property tax bill+72%
Tax bills are bigger in Philip
Philip $2,795Bridgewater $1,625
Average commute19 min
Philip has the shorter commute
Bridgewater 24 minPhilip 5 min
Work from home+9.9 pts
More people work from home in Bridgewater
Bridgewater 9.9%Philip 0%
Street grid+80%
Philip has the more walkable street grid
Philip 127Bridgewater 70.2
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Bridgewater

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.

Philip$1,190/mo
Typical home $182K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $642/mo · Housing →
Bridgewater$1,600/mo
Typical home $249K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.40% · or rent about $729/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Bridgewater and Philip.

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
C+PhilipBetter than 42% of districts in the state ABridgewaterBetter than 86% 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
PhilipBridgewater
Snow a year38″36″
January low8°F6°F
July high88°F84°F
Growing season (days)132d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st55th
Outdoors & history
PhilipBridgewater
Settled1907—
National Register places21
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here2—
Community
PhilipBridgewater
Library hours a week29 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

211 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PhilipSDBridgewaterSD
Philip ↔ Bridgewater211 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.

PhilipBridgewater
People
Population 571Highest 451Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.6% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 52.4±12.5Highest 38% above SD 48.7±10.7Lowest 28% above SD
Philip and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 15.2%±6.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 20.2%±6.9Highest SD: 24.2%
Bridgewater and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.7%±10.7Lowest SD: 18% 31%±5.4Highest SD: 18%
Bridgewater and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.9%Highest SD: 31.9% 13.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.1%±2.1Lowest SD: 5% 3.1%±3.8Highest SD: 5%
Bridgewater and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $56,635±$25kHighest 25% below SD $47,083±$13kLowest 37% below SD
Philip and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $182,100±$67kHighest 29% below SD $116,100±$38kLowest 55% below SD
Philip and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $642±$90Lowest 32% below SD $729±$26Highest 23% below SD
Bridgewater and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,795Highest about the SD average $1,625Lowest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 33.3%±39.6Lowest SD: 39.8% 56.4%±35.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Bridgewater and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.6%Highest SD: 11.9% 10.8%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70.8%Lowest SD: 68.6% 72%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than SD 1969Lowest 11 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 5 minLowest 71% below SD 24 minHighest 36% above SD
Work from home 0%±3.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 9.9%±5.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 47.5%Highest 3.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 36.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.15Highest 0.50Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (8%)Sioux Falls (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BridgewaterFew work in Philip
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 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 127Highest 70.2Lowest
Schools
School district Haakon School District 27-1Bridgewater-Emery 30-3
High school in town Philip High School - 01None in town
Students per teacherat that high school 13.6 —
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.

Philip neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Philip’s Town Square.

Bridgewater neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bridgewater’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Philip and Bridgewater

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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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