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Wessington vs Stickney

61 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+87% in Stickney) and rent (+56% in Stickney).

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Wessington, SDA small town of 192South Dakota · 192 people
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Stickney, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 284 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.

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 →
StickneyKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 92%of SD districts All about Stickney →
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.

Property tax bill+87%
Tax bills are bigger in Stickney
Stickney $1,525Wessington $814
Rent+56%
Rent runs higher in Stickney
Stickney $839Wessington $538
Street grid+60%
Stickney has the more walkable street grid
Stickney 166Wessington 103
Average commute5 min
Wessington has the shorter commute
Stickney 20 minWessington 14 min
Bachelor’s degree++9.1 pts
More adults in Stickney have a degree
Stickney 31.6%Wessington 22.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $210 more a month in Stickney

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 →
Stickney$820/mo
Typical home $132K (Census) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $839/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Stickney and Wessington.

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
–WessingtonNot graded AStickneyBetter than 92% 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
WessingtonStickney
Snow a year44″38″
January low7°F8°F
July high85°F86°F
Growing season (days)152d153d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st48th
Outdoors & history
WessingtonStickney
Settled—1905
National Register places—2
Community
WessingtonStickney
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

61 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WessingtonSDStickneySD
Wessington ↔ Stickney61 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.

WessingtonStickney
People
Population 192Lowest 284Highest
Median age 31.9±5.6Lowest 16% below SD 35.5±7Highest 7% below SD
Stickney and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 33.3%±8.8Highest SD: 24.2% 26.4%±5.9Lowest SD: 24.2%
Wessington and Stickney 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% 22.5%±5.1Highest SD: 18%
Stickney 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%Lowest SD: 31.9% 31.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±6.8Highest SD: 5% 3.9%±5.4Lowest SD: 5%
Wessington and Stickney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,125±$32kLowest 23% below SD $59,750±$22kHighest 20% below SD
Stickney and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $102,100±$28kLowest 60% below SD $131,600±$37kHighest 49% below SD
Stickney and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $538±$19Lowest 43% below SD $839±$160Highest 11% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $814Lowest 70% below SD $1,525Highest 44% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±44.2Highest SD: 39.8% 17.2%±50Lowest SD: 39.8%
Wessington and Stickney 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% 13.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 75.9%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1950Lowest 30 yrs older than SD 1955Highest 25 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 14 minLowest 20% below SD 20 minHighest 10% above SD
Work from home 3.6%±3.5Lowest SD: 9.7% 3.8%±3.7Highest SD: 9.7%
Stickney and Wessington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.2%Lowest 1.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.8 miHighest 21.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.42Highest 0.30Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Huron (27%)Mitchell (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in StickneyFew work in Wessington
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 103Lowest 166Highest
Schools
School district —Corsica-Stickney 21-3
High school in town —None in town
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.

Stickney neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stickney’s Town Square.

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Bordering Wessington

W
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Whiteside Township49 people
H
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Hulbert Township39 people
+ Compare
Wessington Township51 people · $350K homes
G
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Grand Township55 people

Towns like Wessington

B
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Butler Township169 people · $163K homes
G
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Goose Lake Township167 people · $118K homes
A
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Ashton204 people · $61K homes
I
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Iroquois389 people · $156K 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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