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Plankinton vs Bison

232 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.7× in Plankinton) and jobs per worker (2.6× in Bison).

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Plankinton, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 603 people
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Bison, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 406 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.

PlankintonKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts All about Plankinton →
BisonA regional job hub
Work226 jobsbased in Bison, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 10%of SD districts Housing$182K typical home44% below the SD typical home All about Bison →
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 grid2.7×
Plankinton has the more walkable street grid
Plankinton 117Bison 43.8
Jobs per worker2.6×
Bison is more of a job hub
Bison 1.81Plankinton 0.70
Average commute11 min
Bison has the shorter commute
Plankinton 22 minBison 11 min
Age 65++10.8 pts
Bison has more people 65 and up
Bison 24.9%Plankinton 14.1%
Property tax bill+27%
Tax bills are bigger in Plankinton
Plankinton $1,703Bison $1,342
Typical home built16 yrs
Bison’s homes are older
Plankinton 1979Bison 1963
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $460 more a month in Bison

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.

Plankinton$740/mo
Typical home $115K (Census) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $970/mo · Housing →
Bison$1,200/mo
Typical home $182K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.64% · or rent about $932/mo · Housing →

The difference: $460 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Bison and Plankinton.

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+PlankintonBetter than 71% of districts in the state DBisonBetter than 10% 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
PlankintonBison
Snow a year38″40″
January low8°F10°F
July high86°F86°F
Growing season (days)153d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th54th
Outdoors & history
PlankintonBison
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Settled—1907
National Register places21
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—1
Community
PlankintonBison
Library hours a week10 hrs20 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

232 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PlankintonSDBisonSD
Plankinton ↔ Bison232 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.

PlankintonBison
People
Population 603Highest 406Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.5% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 42.4±3.5Lowest 12% above SD 43±8.3Highest 13% above SD
Bison and Plankinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.7%±5.5Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.1%±6Highest SD: 24.2%
Bison and Plankinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.1%±4.1Lowest SD: 18% 24.9%±5.6Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 22.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.7%±2.4Highest SD: 5% 0.5%±2.6Lowest SD: 5%
Plankinton and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $74,833±$7kHighest about the SD average $71,607±$25kLowest 5% below SD
Plankinton and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $114,800±$29kHighest 55% below SD $82,000±$34kLowest 68% below SD
Plankinton and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $970±$159Highest about the SD average $932±$266Lowest about the SD average
Plankinton and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,703Highest 37% below SD $1,342Lowest 51% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 39.3%±28.7Highest SD: 39.8% 28.3%±28.4Lowest SD: 39.8%
Plankinton and Bison 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% 4.9%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69%Lowest SD: 68.6% 75.5%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 1 yr older than SD 1963Lowest 17 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 23% above SD 11 minLowest 40% below SD
Work from home 11.5%±4.5Highest SD: 9.7% 11%±12.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Plankinton and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.6%Lowest 18.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miLowest 32.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.70Lowest 1.81Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Mitchell (18%)Lemmon (43%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BisonFew work in Plankinton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 117Highest 43.8Lowest
Schools
School district Plankinton School District 01-1Bison School District 52-1
High school in town Plankinton High School - 01Bison High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 10.1Highest 8.8Lowest
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.

Plankinton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plankinton’s Town Square.

Bison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bison’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Plankinton

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Scotland851 people · $111K 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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