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Compare towns

Vermillion vs Box Elder

322 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+40 pts in Box Elder) and rent (2× in Box Elder).

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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 people
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Box Elder, SDHomes around $367KSouth Dakota · 12,902 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 $540 more a month in Box Elder

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 →
Box Elder$2,330/mo
Typical home $367K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.33% · or rent about $1,491/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Box Elder 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.

Report cards

Vermillion 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.

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
VermillionBox Elder
Snow a year36″49″
January low—13°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—139d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th51st
Outdoors & history
VermillionBox Elder
Trails3 mi6 mi
Conserved land3%0.7%
Settled18591907
National Register places26—
Archive photos—3
Famous people born here—1
Community
VermillionBox Elder
Library hours a week70 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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

322 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Vermillion ↔ Box Elder322 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.

VermillionBox Elder
People
Population 11,878Lowest 12,902Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% +50.6%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD 28.8±2.2Highest 24% below SD
Kids under 18 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.9%±3.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 9.6%±1.7Highest SD: 18% 7.5%±2Lowest SD: 18%
Vermillion and Box Elder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 28%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5% 7.9%±3.7Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD $73,008±$9kHighest about the SD average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $219,000±$29kLowest 15% below SD $302,100±$25kHighest 17% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $764±$51Lowest 19% below SD $1,491±$138Highest 58% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,214Lowest 18% above SD $4,019Highest 48% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8% 43.4%±8.7Lowest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion and Box Elder 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% 7.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42%Lowest SD: 68.6% 48.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 2 yrs older than SD 2004Highest 24 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 5% below SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 6.4%±2.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.9%±2.6Highest SD: 9.7%
Box Elder and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 47.6%Highest 6.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miLowest 8.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Highest 0.43Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (14%)Rapid City (62%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Box ElderFew work in Vermillion
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miLowest 5.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.0Highest 25.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #9 of 34 in SD#22 of 34 in SD
School district Vermillion School District 13-1Douglas School District 51-1
High school in town Vermillion High School - 01Douglas High School - 03
Students per teacherat that high school 15.0Lowest 17.1Highest
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.

Box Elder neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Box Elder’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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