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Tea vs Big Sioux Township

66 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (11.2× in Big Sioux Township) and street grid (4.2× in Tea).

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Tea, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 6,786 people
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Big Sioux Township, SDAn outdoors townUnion County · 4,917 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 $670 more a month in Big Sioux Township

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.

Tea$2,420/mo
Typical home $389K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,220/mo · Housing →
Big Sioux Township$3,100/mo
Typical home $502K (Census) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $1,225/mo · Housing →

The difference: $670 a month, about $8,100 a year, between Big Sioux Township and Tea.

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

Tea places higher on 9 of 19 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.

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
TeaBig Sioux Township
Snow a year49″36″
January low—10°F
July high—85°F
Growing season (days)—159d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th86th
Outdoors & history
TeaBig Sioux Township
Trails2 mi22 mi
Conserved land2.2%18.8%
Settled1894—
National Register places1—
Community
TeaBig Sioux Township
Library hours a week17 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

66 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Tea ↔ Big Sioux Township66 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.

TeaBig Sioux Township
People
Population 6,786Highest 4,917Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +47.1%Highest SD: +8.9% +43.7%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 30.6±2.2Lowest 19% below SD 41.7±4Highest 10% above SD
Kids under 18 36.3%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2% 25.6%±5.4Lowest SD: 24.2%
Tea and Big Sioux Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 5.5%±2Lowest SD: 18% 19.7%±4.3Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.1%Lowest SD: 31.9% 56.3%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 1.3%±1.5Lowest SD: 5%
Tea and Big Sioux Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $120,139±$19kLowest 60% above SD $128,005±$21kHighest 70% above SD
Big Sioux Township and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $351,100±$26kLowest 36% above SD $502,200±$66kHighest 95% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,220±$260Lowest 29% above SD $1,225±$89Highest 29% above SD
Big Sioux Township and Tea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,166Lowest 53% above SD $5,567Highest 104% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.9%±23.2Highest SD: 39.8% 38.8%±19.9Lowest SD: 39.8%
Tea and Big Sioux Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 3.2%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 73.8%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 24 yrs newer than SD 2003Lowest 23 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 12 minLowest 31% below SD
Work from home 19.7%±5.8Highest SD: 9.7% 11.2%±7.4Lowest SD: 9.7%
Tea and Big Sioux Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.8%Lowest 28.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 1.85Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (67%)North Sioux City (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Big Sioux TownshipFew work in Tea
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Lowest 18.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miLowest 22.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 69.3Highest 16.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #3 of 34 in SD—
School district Tea Area School District 41-5—
High school in town Tea Area High School - 03—
Students per teacherat that high school 19.5 —
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.

Tea neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tea’s Town Square.

Big Sioux Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Big Sioux Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tea and Big Sioux Township

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

Bordering Tea

Towns like Tea

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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