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 →

Lead$2,350/mo

Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →

The difference: $790 a month, about $9,500 a year, between Lead 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.

Life in each

Lead gets 135 more inches of snow a year

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 ValleyLead

Snow a year49″184″

January low13°F 18°F

July high86°F 82°F

Growing season (days)139d 133d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 54th

Outdoors & history

Rapid ValleyLead

Trails—4 mi

Conserved land—0.8%

Settled—1876

National Register places—2

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here—9

Community

Rapid ValleyLead

Library hours a week—40 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Report cards

Rapid Valley places higher on 9 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.

Safety

–Rapid ValleyNot graded B+LeadSafer than 73% of U.S. towns

Schools

CRapid ValleyBetter than 29% of districts in the state C+LeadBetter than 39% of districts in the state

Health

B+Rapid ValleyHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns BLeadHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns

9Rapid Valley

7Lead

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

Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #27#3 Most remote workersWork · 37 towns #12#35 Cheapest rentCost of living · 34 towns #28#10 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 37 towns #26#12 Most affordableCost of living · 37 towns #19#6 Lowest property taxCost of living · 37 towns #16#4 Most activeHealth · 37 towns #16#25 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 37 towns #12#20

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

Where they are

38 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Rapid ValleySD LeadSD

Rapid Valley ↔ Lead38 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 ValleyLead

People

Population 6,975Highest 3,006Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2%Highest SD: +8.9% -4.5%Lowest SD: +8.9%

Median age 43.2±4.8Lowest 14% above SD 46.5±13.1Highest 22% above SD

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

Kids under 18 18.6%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2% 14.7%±5.1Lowest SD: 24.2%

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

Age 65+ 18.5%±3.3Lowest SD: 18% 27.2%±7.3Highest SD: 18%

Lead and Rapid Valley 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% 20.5%Highest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±1.5Highest SD: 5% 1.8%±1.8Lowest SD: 5%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $83,208±$12kHighest 11% above SD $73,047±$33kLowest about the SD average

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $255,500±$14kHighest about the SD average $189,400±$19kLowest 26% below SD

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,174±$202Highest 24% above SD $835±$81Lowest 12% below SD

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,612Highest 4% below SD $1,864Lowest 32% below SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 12.5%±15Lowest SD: 39.8% 30.9%±15.1Highest SD: 39.8%

Lead 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% 7.5%Highest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 92.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 70.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 11% above SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD

Work from home 9.2%±4.3Highest SD: 9.7% 2%±2Lowest SD: 9.7%

Work in townworking residents 1.1%Lowest 18%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.8 miHighest 3.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.11Lowest 0.62Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (76%)Deadwood (38%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LeadFew work in Rapid Valley

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 3.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 35.5Lowest 99.5Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #33 of 34 in SD #31 of 34 in SD

School district Rapid City Area School District 51-4Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1

High school in town None in townLead-Deadwood High School - 01

Students per teacherat that high school — 10.7

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.

Lead neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lead’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Rapid Valley and Lead

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

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

Dell Rapids3,905 people · $302K homes

+ Compare

Hartford3,478 people · $258K 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 Lead

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $790 more a month in Lead

Lead gets 135 more inches of snow a year

Rapid Valley places higher on 9 of 17 SD lists

38 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Rapid Valley and Lead

Bordering Rapid Valley

Towns like Rapid Valley

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