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Compare towns

Vermillion vs Spearfish

364 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (9.3× in Spearfish) and home values (+58% in Spearfish).

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Vermillion, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 11,878 people
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Spearfish, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 12,930 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 $950 more a month in Spearfish

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 →
Spearfish$2,740/mo
Typical home $456K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $963/mo · Housing →

The difference: $950 a month, about $11,400 a year, between Spearfish 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.

Life in each

Spearfish gets 34 more inches of snow a year

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
VermillionSpearfish
Snow a year36″71″
January low—16°F
July high—84°F
Growing season (days)—143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th41st
Outdoors & history
VermillionSpearfish
Trails3 mi25 mi
Conserved land3%9.2%
Settled18591876
National Register places2630
Community
VermillionSpearfish
Library hours a week70 hrs57 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.

Report cards

Spearfish 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.

Where they are

364 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Vermillion ↔ Spearfish364 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.

VermillionSpearfish
People
Population 11,878Lowest 12,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% +16.2%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 23.1±0.6Lowest 39% below SD 40±1.9Highest 5% above SD
Kids under 18 14.9%±2.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 18.4%±2.4Highest SD: 24.2%
Spearfish and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±1.7Lowest SD: 18% 20.7%±2.9Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 41.8%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 37.7%±3Highest SD: 5% 11%±2.7Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $50,456±$5kLowest 33% below SD $65,688±$13kHighest 13% below SD
Spearfish and Vermillion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $219,000±$29kLowest 15% below SD $346,200±$21kHighest 34% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $764±$51Lowest 19% below SD $963±$97Highest about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,214Highest 18% above SD $3,183Lowest 17% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±12.8Highest SD: 39.8% 37.2%±8.7Lowest SD: 39.8%
Vermillion and Spearfish 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% 15.2%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42%Lowest SD: 68.6% 49.6%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 2 yrs older than SD 1992Highest 12 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 5% below SD 16 minLowest 8% below SD
Work from home 6.4%±2.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.6%±2.3Highest SD: 9.7%
Spearfish 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 45.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miLowest 5.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.19Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (14%)Rapid City (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SpearfishFew work in Vermillion
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Lowest 9.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miLowest 25.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 65.0Highest 34.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #9 of 34 in SD#15 of 34 in SD
School district Vermillion School District 13-1Spearfish School District 40-2 · Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
High school in town Vermillion High School - 01Spearfish High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 15.0Lowest 16.9Highest
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.

Spearfish neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Spearfish’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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