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Compare towns

Wessington vs Ashton

38 miles apart. The biggest differences: work from home (+35.5 pts in Ashton) and property tax bill (+47% in Ashton).

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Wessington, SDA small town of 192South Dakota · 192 people
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Ashton, SDA small town of 204South Dakota · 204 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.

WessingtonA small town of 192
Quiet strengthsWessington doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wessington →
AshtonA small town of 204
Quiet strengthsAshton doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Ashton →
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 $180 more a month in Wessington

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.

Wessington$600/mo
Typical home $102K (Census) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $538/mo · Housing →
Ashton$420/mo
Typical home $61K (Census) · tax rate 1.96% · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Wessington and Ashton.

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
WessingtonAshton
Snow a year44″43″
January low7°F1°F
July high85°F84°F
Growing season (days)152d137d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st30th
Outdoors & history
WessingtonAshton
Archive photos—1
Famous people born here—1
Community
WessingtonAshton
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

38 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Wessington ↔ Ashton38 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.

WessingtonAshton
People
Population 192Lowest 204Highest
Median age 31.9±5.6Highest 16% below SD 31.5±19.1Lowest 17% below SD
Wessington and Ashton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 33.3%±8.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 38.2%±10.2Highest SD: 24.2%
Ashton and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.9%±9.9Lowest SD: 18% 14.2%±12.1Highest SD: 18%
Ashton and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 19.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±6.8Highest SD: 5% 3.4%±6.4Lowest SD: 5%
Wessington and Ashton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,125±$32kHighest 23% below SD $54,712±$26kLowest 27% below SD
Wessington and Ashton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $102,100±$28kHighest 60% below SD $60,800±$32kLowest 76% below SD
Wessington and Ashton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $538±$19 43% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $814Lowest 70% below SD $1,194Highest 56% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±44.2Highest SD: 39.8% 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8%
Wessington and Ashton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.4%Highest SD: 11.9% 14.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 86.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1950Highest 30 yrs older than SD 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 14 minHighest 20% below SD 10 minLowest 42% below SD
Work from home 3.6%±3.5Lowest SD: 9.7% 39.1%±22.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 1.2%Lowest 2.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.8 miLowest 31.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.42Highest 0.20Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Huron (27%)Redfield (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AshtonFew work in Wessington
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 103Highest 69.2Lowest
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.

Wessington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wessington’s Town Square.

Ashton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ashton’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Wessington

Towns like Wessington

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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