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.

Down paymentRate%

Rapid Valley$1,560/mo

Typical home $256K (Census) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $1,174/mo · Housing →

Dell Rapids$2,330/mo

Typical home $371K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.24% · or rent about $962/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,200 a year, between Dell Rapids and Rapid Valley.

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

Dell Rapids places higher on 11 of 17 SD lists

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

CRapid ValleyBetter than 29% of districts in the state ADell RapidsBetter than 90% of districts in the state

Health

B+Rapid ValleyHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns ADell RapidsHealthier than 85% of U.S. towns

5Rapid Valley

11Dell Rapids

Lists won, of 17 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 34 towns #33#2 Most educatedPeople · 37 towns #33#11 Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #27#6 Fewest smokersHealth · 37 towns #24#4 Fastest growingGrowth · 36 towns #31#13 HealthiestHealth · 37 towns #21#7 Lowest property taxCost of living · 37 towns #16#28 Cheapest rentCost of living · 34 towns #28#18

Left end = #1 in South Dakota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Rapid Valley’s rankings →

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

Rapid ValleyDell Rapids

Snow a year49″40″

January low13°F —

July high86°F —

Growing season (days)139d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 60th

Outdoors & history

Rapid ValleyDell Rapids

Trails—2 mi

Conserved land—2.6%

Settled—1871

National Register places—13

Community

Rapid ValleyDell Rapids

Library hours a week—54 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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

319 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Rapid ValleySD Dell RapidsSD

Rapid Valley ↔ Dell Rapids319 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.

Only big differences vs South Dakota average

Rapid ValleyDell Rapids

People

Population 6,975Highest 3,905Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2%Lowest SD: +8.9% +10%Highest SD: +8.9%

Median age 43.2±4.8Highest 14% above SD 39.3±2.1Lowest 3% above SD

Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 18.6%±3.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.3%±4.5Highest SD: 24.2%

Dell Rapids and Rapid Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18.5%±3.3Highest SD: 18% 18%±3.8Lowest SD: 18%

Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 38.9%Highest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±1.5Highest SD: 5% 2%±1.2Lowest SD: 5%

Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $83,208±$12kLowest 11% above SD $100,170±$17kHighest 33% above SD

Dell Rapids and Rapid Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $255,500±$14kLowest about the SD average $301,700±$31kHighest 17% above SD

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,174±$202Highest 24% above SD $962±$79Lowest about the SD average

Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,612Lowest 4% below SD $3,748Highest 38% above SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 12.5%±15Lowest SD: 39.8% 38.6%±13.2Highest SD: 39.8%

Dell Rapids and Rapid Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 4.5%Lowest SD: 11.9% 9.4%Highest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 92.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 82.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD 1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 11% above SD 25 minHighest 39% above SD

Work from home 9.2%±4.3Highest SD: 9.7% 7.5%±3.4Lowest SD: 9.7%

Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 1.1%Lowest 15.9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.8 miLowest 19.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.11Lowest 0.46Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (76%)Sioux Falls (51%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Dell RapidsFew work in Rapid Valley

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 2.6%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 1.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.7 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 6Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 35.5Lowest 78.0Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #33 of 34 in SD #2 of 34 in SD

School district Rapid City Area School District 51-4Dell Rapids School District 49-3

High school in town None in townDell Rapids High School - 01

Students per teacherat that high school — 16.4

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.

Rapid Valley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rapid Valley’s Town Square.

Dell Rapids neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 5d

New Local Spot to Check Out

1 neighbor in Dell Rapids can answer.

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Set another town beside Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids

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Bordering Rapid Valley

+ Compare

Rapid City77,946 people · $299K homes

+ Compare

Box Elder12,902 people · $302K homes

+ Compare

Green Valley1,642 people · $280K homes

Towns like Rapid Valley

+ Compare

Hartford3,478 people · $258K homes

+ Compare

Lead3,006 people · $189K homes

+ Compare

Sturgis7,086 people · $271K homes

+ Compare

Mobridge2,932 people · $137K 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.

Rapid Valley vs Dell Rapids

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $770 more a month in Dell Rapids

Dell Rapids places higher on 11 of 17 SD lists

What daily life feels like in each

319 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

New Local Spot to Check Out

Set another town beside Rapid Valley and Dell Rapids

Bordering Rapid Valley

Towns like Rapid Valley

Post to Rapid Valley

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