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Compare towns

Spearfish vs Vermillion

364 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (9.3× in Spearfish) and home values (+58% in Spearfish).

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Spearfish, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 12,930 people
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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $950 more a month in Spearfish

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.

Spearfish$2,740/mo
Typical home $456K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $963/mo · Housing →
Vermillion$1,790/mo
Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $950 a month, about $11,400 a year, between Spearfish and Vermillion.

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

Spearfish gets 34 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
SpearfishVermillion
Snow a year71″36″
January low16°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)143d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st46th
Outdoors & history
SpearfishVermillion
Trails25 mi3 mi
Conserved land9.2%3%
Settled18761859
National Register places3026
Community
SpearfishVermillion
Library hours a week57 hrs70 hrs
Colleges in town11
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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

Spearfish places higher on 13 of 22 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.

Where they are

364 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Spearfish ↔ Vermillion364 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.

SpearfishVermillion
People
Population 12,930Highest 11,878Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +16.2%Highest SD: +8.9% +10.6%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 40±1.9Highest 5% above SD 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD
Kids under 18 18.4%±2.4Highest SD: 24.2% 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2%
Spearfish and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.7%±2.9Highest SD: 18% 9.6%±1.7Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11%±2.7Lowest SD: 5% 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,688±$13kHighest 13% below SD $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD
Spearfish and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $346,200±$21kHighest 34% above SD $219,000±$29kLowest 15% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $963±$97Highest about the SD average $764±$51Lowest 19% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,183Lowest 17% above SD $3,214Highest 18% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 37.2%±8.7Lowest SD: 39.8% 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion and Spearfish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.2%Lowest SD: 11.9% 24.4%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49.6%Highest SD: 68.6% 42%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1992Highest 12 yrs newer than SD 1978Lowest 2 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 8% below SD 17 minHighest 5% below SD
Work from home 6.6%±2.3Highest SD: 9.7% 6.4%±2.9Lowest SD: 9.7%
Spearfish and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 45.5%Lowest 47.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.19Highest 1.12Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (12%)Sioux Falls (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VermillionFew work in Spearfish
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.2%Highest 3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 25.0 miHighest 2.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.5 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 19Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 34.4Lowest 65.0Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #15 of 34 in SD#9 of 34 in SD
School district Spearfish School District 40-2 · Black Hills Special Services CooperativeVermillion School District 13-1
High school in town Spearfish High School - 01Vermillion High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 16.9Highest 15.0Lowest
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.

Spearfish neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Spearfish’s Town Square.

Vermillion neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Vermillion's Hidden Gems

1 neighbor in Vermillion can answer.

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Bordering Spearfish

Towns like Spearfish

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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