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Compare towns

Wall vs Onida

118 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3.1× in Onida) and work in town (+22.4 pts in Onida).

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Wall, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 622 people
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Onida, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 644 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.

WallA regional job hub
Work468 jobsbased in Wall, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts All about Wall →
OnidaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts Housing$253K typical home21% below the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18802 places on the National Register All about Onida →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid3.1×
Onida has the more walkable street grid
Onida 90.1Wall 29.0
Work in town+22.4 pts
More of Onida’s workers stay in town
Onida 34%Wall 11.6%
Growth since 2010+9.9 pts
Onida has grown faster since 2010
Onida +1.2%Wall -8.7%
Seasonal homes+16.3 pts
Wall has more second homes
Wall 16.9%Onida 0.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $480 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 →
Onida$1,520/mo
Typical home $253K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $939/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Wall and Onida.

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

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 B+OnidaBetter than 71% of districts in the state
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
WallOnida
Snow a year30″49″
January low9°F7°F
July high89°F87°F
Growing season (days)141d147d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th67th
Outdoors & history
WallOnida
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0.3%—
Settled19081880
National Register places—2
Archive photos65
Famous people born here14
Community
WallOnida
Library hours a week19 hrs16 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

118 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WallSDOnidaSD
Wall ↔ Onida118 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.

WallOnida
People
Population 622Lowest 644Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.7%Lowest SD: +8.9% +1.2%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 46.2±8.9Highest 22% above SD 42.2±10.3Lowest 11% above SD
Wall and Onida 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% 27.2%±5.2Highest SD: 24.2%
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.1%±6.7Highest SD: 18% 22.4%±4.7Lowest SD: 18%
Wall and Onida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.4%Lowest SD: 31.9% 29.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±2.3Lowest SD: 5% 2%±1.6Highest SD: 5%
Onida and Wall 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 $70,000±$8kHighest 7% below SD
Onida 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 $178,600±$30kHighest 31% below SD
Onida and Wall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $939±$98 about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,709Highest 37% below SD $1,636Lowest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.5%±53.6Lowest SD: 39.8% 43.1%±33.2Highest SD: 39.8%
Onida and Wall 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% 4.9%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.8%Highest SD: 68.6% 80.1%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD 1974Highest 6 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 3% below SD 18 minHighest about the SD average
Work from home 4.7%±3.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 6%±4.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Onida 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 34%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 48.3 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.70Highest 1.24Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (47%)Pierre (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OnidaFew work in Wall
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.0Lowest 90.1Highest
Schools
School district Wall School District 51-5Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3
High school in town Wall High School - 01Sully Buttes High School - 07
Students per teacherat that high school 12.3Highest 9.6Lowest
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.

Onida neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Onida’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wall and Onida

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
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Lake Flat Township60 people · $368K homes

Towns like Wall

C
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Centerville903 people · $161K homes
+ Compare
De Smet943 people · $165K homes
M
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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.

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