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Vermillion vs Fairview Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (25× in Vermillion) and size (22.2× in Vermillion).

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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 people
F ×
Fairview Township, SDA small town of 535Clay County · 535 people
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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.

VermillionA history town
HistorySettled in 185926 places on the National Register Schools#9 for schools in SDof 34 towns Housing$276K typical home14% below the SD typical home All about Vermillion →
Fairview TownshipA small town of 535
Quiet strengthsFairview Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Fairview Township →
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.

Street grid25×
Vermillion has the more walkable street grid
Vermillion 65.0Fairview Township 2.6
Size22.2×
Vermillion is the bigger place
Vermillion 11,878Fairview Township 535
Household income2×
Households in Fairview Township earn more
Fairview Township $99,219Vermillion $50,456
Property tax bill2.2×
Tax bills are bigger in Vermillion
Vermillion $3,214Fairview Township $1,464
Work in town+46.1 pts
More of Vermillion’s workers stay in town
Vermillion 47.6%Fairview Township 1.5%
Median age20.4 yrs
Fairview Township skews older
Fairview Township 43.5Vermillion 23.1
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Fairview Township$1,680/mo
Typical home $298K (Census) · tax rate 0.49% · Housing →

The difference: $100 a month, about $1,300 a year, between Vermillion and Fairview Township.

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.

Where they are

Vermillion and Fairview Township share a border

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

VermillionFairview TownshipVermillionFairview Township
Vermillion ↔ Fairview Township3.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
86 Fairview Township residents work in Vermillion (33.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Fairview Township →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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
B−VermillionSafer than 48% of U.S. towns –Fairview TownshipNot graded
Schools
B−VermillionBetter than 49% of districts in the state –Fairview TownshipNot graded
Health
A−VermillionHealthier than 78% of U.S. towns –Fairview TownshipNot graded
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
VermillionFairview Township
Snow a year36″36″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th66th
Outdoors & history
VermillionFairview Township
Trails3 mi5 mi
Conserved land3%1.2%
Settled1859—
National Register places261
Community
VermillionFairview Township
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.

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.

VermillionFairview Township
People
Population 11,878Highest 535Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% +13%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD 43.5±15.5Highest 14% above SD
Kids under 18 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.9%±8.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 9.6%±1.7Lowest SD: 18% 12.7%±8.2Highest SD: 18%
Fairview Township and Vermillion 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% 28.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5% 1.7%±4Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD $99,219±$35kHighest 32% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $219,000±$29kLowest 15% below SD $297,600±$100kHighest 16% above SD
Fairview Township and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $764±$51 19% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,214Highest 18% above SD $1,464Lowest 46% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±12.8Lowest SD: 39.8% 100%±100Highest SD: 39.8%
Fairview Township and Vermillion 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% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42%Lowest SD: 68.6% 80.5%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 minLowest 5% below SD 22 minHighest 25% above SD
Work from home 6.4%±2.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 15.5%±11.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Fairview Township 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 1.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miLowest 26.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Highest 0.36Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (14%)Vermillion (33%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Fairview Township33% work in Vermillion
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miLowest 5.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.0Highest 2.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #9 of 34 in SD—
School district Vermillion School District 13-1—
High school in town Vermillion High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 15.0 —
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.

Fairview Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairview Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Vermillion

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Vermillion Township242 people

Towns like Vermillion

B
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Brookings23,948 people · $266K homes
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Box Elder12,902 people · $302K homes
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Spearfish12,930 people · $346K homes
A
+ Compare
Aberdeen28,189 people · $217K 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.

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