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.

Down paymentRate%

Watertown$1,910/mo

Typical home $315K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $942/mo · Housing →

Huron$1,130/mo

Typical home $181K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.21% · or rent about $888/mo · Housing →

The difference: $780 a month, about $9,400 a year, between Watertown and Huron.

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

Huron places higher on 14 of 25 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.

Safety

C+WatertownSafer than 44% of U.S. towns CHuronSafer than 34% of U.S. towns

Schools

BWatertownBetter than 56% of districts in the state CHuronBetter than 25% of districts in the state

Health

BWatertownHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns C+HuronHealthier than 35% of U.S. towns

11Watertown

14Huron

Lists won, of 25 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 34 towns #11#32 Most trailsOutdoors · 27 towns #23#9 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 37 towns #20#37 Most new homesHousing · 31 towns #11#22 Most affordableCost of living · 37 towns #16#5 Most walkableOutdoors · 37 towns #25#14 Fastest growingGrowth · 36 towns #21#11 Most conserved landOutdoors · 33 towns #16#25

Left end = #1 in South Dakota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Watertown’s rankings →

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

WatertownHuron

Snow a year41″44″

January low3°F 6°F

July high82°F 86°F

Growing season (days)145d 146d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th 55th

Outdoors & history

WatertownHuron

Trails10 mi 10 mi

Conserved land3.3%1.7%

Settled1879 1883

National Register places28 9

Archive photos6 6

Famous people born here31 27

Community

WatertownHuron

Library hours a week63 hrs 58 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

64 miles apart

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

WatertownSD HuronSD

Watertown ↔ Huron64 miles apart

Who commutes between them

147 Huron residents work in Watertown (2.3% of its workers)

113 Watertown residents work in Huron (1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Huron →

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.

Only big differences vs South Dakota average

WatertownHuron

People

Population 23,044Highest 14,385Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.5%Lowest SD: +8.9% +13.3%Highest SD: +8.9%

Median age 39.5±1.1Highest 4% above SD 36.1±1.9Lowest 5% below SD

Kids under 18 21.9%±1.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 28.7%±3.2Highest SD: 24.2%

Age 65+ 19.8%±1.9Highest SD: 18% 17.4%±1.9Lowest SD: 18%

Watertown and Huron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 27%Highest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.1Highest SD: 5% 3.7%±1.4Lowest SD: 5%

Watertown and Huron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $69,600±$7kHighest 7% below SD $61,452±$11kLowest 18% below SD

Watertown and Huron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $229,400±$15kHighest 11% below SD $159,000±$17kLowest 38% below SD

Rentmedian gross, monthly $942±$47Highest about the SD average $888±$59Lowest 6% below SD

Watertown and Huron are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,285Highest 16% below SD $1,926Lowest 29% below SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35.9%±5.6Lowest SD: 39.8% 41.2%±10.6Highest SD: 39.8%

Huron and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 9%Lowest SD: 11.9% 16.1%Highest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 68.3%Highest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 1 yr older than SD 1960Lowest 20 yrs older than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 13 minHighest 29% below SD 12 minLowest 33% below SD

Work from home 4.8%±1.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 5.3%±2Highest SD: 9.7%

Huron and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 66.6%Highest 56.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 mi 2.8 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Highest 1.03Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (9%)Alpena (6%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Huron2% work in Watertown

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.3%Highest 1.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 9.7 miLowest 10.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 30Highest 8Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.7Lowest 62.3Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 34 in SD #32 of 34 in SD

School district Watertown School District 14-4Huron School District 02-2

High school in town Watertown High School - 01Huron High School - 01

Students per teacherat that high school 16.8Lowest 18.9Highest

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.

Watertown neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Watertown’s Town Square.

Huron neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Huron’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Watertown and Huron

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

Bordering Watertown

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Lake Township851 people · $350K homes

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Elmira Township345 people · $450K homes

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Sheridan Township445 people · $265K homes

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Pelican Township1,064 people · $347K homes

Towns like Watertown

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Mitchell15,649 people · $192K homes

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Yankton15,540 people · $223K homes

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Aberdeen28,189 people · $217K homes

+ Compare

Pierre13,948 people · $231K 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.

Watertown vs Huron

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $780 more a month in Watertown

Huron places higher on 14 of 25 SD lists

What daily life feels like in each

64 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Watertown and Huron

Bordering Watertown

Towns like Watertown

Post to Watertown

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