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Compare towns

Vermillion vs Aberdeen

201 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Aberdeen) and in college (+31.3 pts in Vermillion).

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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 people
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Aberdeen, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 28,189 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 $250 more a month in Vermillion

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.

Vermillion$1,790/mo
Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $764/mo · Housing →
Aberdeen$1,530/mo
Typical home $244K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.25% · or rent about $762/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,000 a year, between Vermillion and Aberdeen.

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

Aberdeen places higher on 12 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.

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
VermillionAberdeen
Snow a year36″43″
January low—2°F
July high—85°F
Growing season (days)—139d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th40th
Outdoors & history
VermillionAberdeen
Trails3 mi12 mi
Conserved land3%5.1%
Settled18591880
National Register places2623
Community
VermillionAberdeen
Library hours a week70 hrs61 hrs
Colleges in town11
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

201 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Vermillion ↔ Aberdeen201 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.

VermillionAberdeen
People
Population 11,878Lowest 28,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.6%Highest SD: +8.9% +9.2%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD 36.4±0.9Highest 4% below SD
Kids under 18 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 22.4%±1.8Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 9.6%±1.7Lowest SD: 18% 16.4%±1.6Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 35%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5% 6.4%±1.2Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD $64,405±$5kHighest 14% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $219,000±$29kHighest 15% below SD $217,300±$13kLowest 16% below SD
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $764±$51Highest 19% below SD $762±$38Lowest 19% below SD
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,214Highest 18% above SD $2,719Lowest about the SD average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8% 45.8%±6.3Lowest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 24.4%Highest SD: 11.9% 13.8%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42%Lowest SD: 68.6% 61.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 2 yrs older than SD 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 5% below SD 12 minLowest 33% below SD
Work from home 6.4%±2.9Highest SD: 9.7% 5.4%±1.7Lowest SD: 9.7%
Vermillion and Aberdeen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 47.6%Lowest 66.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 mi 2.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12 1.12
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (14%)Aberdeen Township (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AberdeenFew work in Vermillion
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Lowest 5.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miLowest 12.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 13Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.0Lowest 66.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #9 of 34 in SD#20 of 34 in SD
School district Vermillion School District 13-1SD SCH FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED · Aberdeen School District 06-1
High school in town Vermillion High School - 01Central High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 15.0Lowest 17.2Highest
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.

Vermillion neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Vermillion's Hidden Gems

1 neighbor in Vermillion can answer.

Aberdeen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aberdeen’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Vermillion and Aberdeen

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Bordering Vermillion

Towns like Vermillion

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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