Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Wall vs De Smet

234 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.7× in De Smet) and work in town (+19.4 pts in De Smet).

×
Wall, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 622 people
×
De Smet, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 943 people
Swap order
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.

WallA regional job hub
Work468 jobsbased in Wall, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts All about Wall →
De SmetKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 18%of SD districts HistorySettled in 18805 places on the National Register Housing$261K typical home19% below the SD typical home All about De Smet →
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 grid2.7×
De Smet has the more walkable street grid
De Smet 79.4Wall 29.0
Work in town+19.4 pts
More of De Smet’s workers stay in town
De Smet 31%Wall 11.6%
Growth since 2010+5.7 pts
De Smet has grown faster since 2010
De Smet -3%Wall -8.7%
Average commute6 min
De Smet has the shorter commute
Wall 17 minDe Smet 12 min
Property tax bill+19%
Tax bills are bigger in De Smet
De Smet $2,036Wall $1,709
Typical home built13 yrs
De Smet’s homes are older
Wall 1971De Smet 1958
★ What stands out · 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.

Schools
B+WallBetter than 71% of districts in the state C−De SmetBetter than 18% of districts in the state
Monthly cost

A typical home costs $360 more a month in Wall

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.

Wall$2,000/mo
Typical home $327K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.04% · Housing →
De Smet$1,630/mo
Typical home $261K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.23% · or rent about $708/mo · Housing →

The difference: $360 a month, about $4,300 a year, between Wall and De Smet.

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

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
WallDe Smet
Snow a year30″41″
January low9°F5°F
July high89°F82°F
Growing season (days)141d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th30th
Outdoors & history
WallDe Smet
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0.3%0.3%
Settled19081880
National Register places—5
Archive photos6—
Famous people born here1—
Community
WallDe Smet
Library hours a week19 hrs23 hrs
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.

Where they are

234 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WallSDDe SmetSD
Wall ↔ De Smet234 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.

WallDe Smet
People
Population 622Lowest 943Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.7%Lowest SD: +8.9% -3%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 46.2±8.9Lowest 22% above SD 47.3±9.4Highest 24% above SD
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.2%±5.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 19.9%±3.9Highest SD: 24.2%
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.1%±6.7Lowest SD: 18% 29.3%±5.1Highest SD: 18%
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.4%Highest SD: 31.9% 22.1%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±2.3Highest SD: 5% 0.3%±1.1Lowest SD: 5%
Wall and De Smet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,984±$8kLowest 21% below SD $67,321±$16kHighest 10% below SD
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $164,800±$20kLowest 36% below SD $165,200±$24kHighest 36% below SD
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $708±$307 25% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,709Lowest 37% below SD $2,036Highest 25% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.5%±53.6Highest SD: 39.8% 28.1%±14.8Lowest SD: 39.8%
Wall and De Smet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.8%Highest SD: 11.9% 4.6%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.8%Lowest SD: 68.6% 85.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD 1958Lowest 22 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 3% below SD 12 minLowest 34% below SD
Work from home 4.7%±3.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 6.9%±4.3Highest SD: 9.7%
De Smet and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.6%Lowest 31%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 48.3 miHighest 26.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.70Highest 1.42Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (47%)Sioux Falls (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in De SmetFew work in Wall
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3% 0.3%
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.0Lowest 79.4Highest
Schools
School district Wall School District 51-5De Smet School District 38-2
High school in town Wall High School - 01De Smet High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 12.3Highest 10.1Lowest
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.

Wall neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wall’s Town Square.

De Smet neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to De Smet’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wall and De Smet

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

Bordering Wall

F
+ Compare
Fairview Township109 people
L
+ Compare
Lake Hill Township47 people · $450K homes
L
+ Compare
Lake Flat Township60 people · $368K homes

Towns like Wall

C
+ Compare
Centerville903 people · $161K homes
+ Compare
Onida644 people · $179K homes
M
+ Compare
Menno653 people · $112K homes
+ Compare
Highmore596 people · $152K 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.

Post to Wall

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in