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Vail vs Strool-Plateau

Next-door neighbors in Perkins County. The biggest differences: size (15.3× in Strool-Plateau) and trails (2.9× in Strool-Plateau).

V ×
Vail, SDAn outdoors townPerkins County · 3 people
S ×
Strool-Plateau, SDA small town of 46Perkins County · 46 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.

Strool-PlateauA small town of 46
Quiet strengthsStrool-Plateau doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Strool-Plateau →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Where they are

Vail and Strool-Plateau share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

VailStrool-PlateauVailStrool-Plateau
Vail ↔ Strool-Plateau7.1 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
VailStrool-Plateau
Snow a year40″40″
January low10°F10°F
July high86°F86°F
Growing season (days)144d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th54th
Outdoors & history
VailStrool-Plateau
Trails3 mi9 mi
Conserved land15.9%9.8%
Community
VailStrool-Plateau
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.

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.

VailStrool-Plateau
People
Population 3Lowest 46Highest
Median age — 32.5±36.2 14% below SD
Kids under 18 0%±100Lowest SD: 24.2% 37%±52.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Strool-Plateau and Vail are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 100%±100Highest SD: 18% 4.3%±72.3Lowest SD: 18%
Vail and Strool-Plateau are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest SD: 31.9% 17.4%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±100 SD: 5% 0%±30.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year — 1938 42 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Work from home — 58.3%±59.5 SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 37.3 miLowest 43.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.06Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Lemmon (63%)Lemmon (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Strool-PlateauFew work in Vail
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.9%Highest 9.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.0 miLowest 8.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.0Lowest 0.4Highest
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.

Vail neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vail’s Town Square.

Strool-Plateau neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Strool-Plateau’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Vail and Strool-Plateau

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

Bordering Vail

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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