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%

Tea$2,420/mo

Typical home $389K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,220/mo · Housing →

Harrisburg$2,250/mo

Typical home $363K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,362/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,000 a year, between Tea and Harrisburg.

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 11 of 20 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

BTeaSafer than 59% of U.S. towns –HarrisburgNot graded

Schools

A−TeaBetter than 79% of districts in the state B+HarrisburgBetter than 71% of districts in the state

Health

ATeaHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns AHarrisburgHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns

11Tea

7Harrisburg

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 34 towns #3#17 Highest graduation rateSchools · 33 towns #4#17 Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #9#20 Most conserved landOutdoors · 33 towns #23#31 Lowest obesityHealth · 37 towns #23#16 Lowest property taxCost of living · 37 towns #32#27 Cheapest rentCost of living · 34 towns #29#33 Fastest growingGrowth · 36 towns #4#1

Left end = #1 in South Dakota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Tea’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

TeaHarrisburg

Snow a year49″49″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th 48th

Outdoors & history

TeaHarrisburg

Trails2 mi 1 mi

Conserved land2.2%0.2%

Settled1894 —

National Register places1 —

Community

TeaHarrisburg

Library hours a week17 hrs 46 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.

Where they are

6 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

TeaHarrisburg

Tea ↔ Harrisburg5.8 miles apart

Who commutes between them

75 Harrisburg residents work in Tea (1.8% of its workers)

45 Tea residents work in Harrisburg (1.3% of its workers)

Work & commute in Harrisburg →

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

TeaHarrisburg

People

Population 6,786Lowest 8,519Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +47.1%Lowest SD: +8.9% +64.6%Highest SD: +8.9%

Median age 30.6±2.2Lowest 19% below SD 31.1±1.7Highest 18% below SD

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

Kids under 18 36.3%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2% 34.2%±5.5Lowest SD: 24.2%

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

Age 65+ 5.5%±2Highest SD: 18% 3.7%±2Lowest SD: 18%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 43.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5% 1.8%±1.2Highest SD: 5%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $120,139±$19kHighest 60% above SD $108,724±$12kLowest 45% above SD

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $351,100±$26kHighest 36% above SD $312,200±$27kLowest 21% above SD

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,220±$260Lowest 29% above SD $1,362±$67Highest 44% above SD

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,166Highest 53% above SD $3,637Lowest 34% above SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.9%±23.2Highest SD: 39.8% 36.5%±22Lowest SD: 39.8%

Tea and Harrisburg 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% 0.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 79.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 78.4%Lowest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 2004Lowest 24 yrs newer than SD 2008Highest 28 yrs newer than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 13% above SD 22 minHighest 23% above SD

Work from home 19.7%±5.8Highest SD: 9.7% 12.2%±3.7Lowest SD: 9.7%

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

Work in townworking residents 9.8%Lowest 10.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miHighest 7.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Highest 0.55Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (67%)Sioux Falls (67%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Harrisburg2% work in Tea

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Highest 0.2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miHighest 0.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 69.3Highest 56.6Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #3 of 34 in SD #17 of 34 in SD

School district Tea Area School District 41-5Harrisburg School District 41-2

High school in town Tea Area High School - 03Harrisburg High School - 01

Students per teacherat that high school 19.5Highest 14.3Lowest

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.

Harrisburg neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harrisburg’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tea and Harrisburg

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

Bordering Tea

+ Compare

Delapre Township2,025 people · $472K homes

Towns like Tea

+ Compare

Brandon10,996 people · $337K homes

+ Compare

Summerset3,022 people · $368K homes

+ Compare

Dell Rapids3,905 people · $302K homes

+ Compare

Hartford3,478 people · $258K 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.

Tea vs Harrisburg

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Tea

Tea places higher on 11 of 20 SD lists

What daily life feels like in each

6 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Tea and Harrisburg

Bordering Tea

Towns like Tea

Post to Tea

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