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Compare towns

White River vs Bowdle

141 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+35% in Bowdle) and work from home (+8.9 pts in Bowdle).

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White River, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 606 people
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Bowdle, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 475 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.

White RiverKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 2%of SD districts Work212 jobsbased in White River, a regional job hub All about White River →
BowdleA history town
HistorySettled in 18861 place on the National Register All about Bowdle →
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.

Property tax bill+35%
Tax bills are bigger in Bowdle
Bowdle $1,250White River $924
Work from home+8.9 pts
More people work from home in Bowdle
Bowdle 10.9%White River 2%
Average commute8 min
Bowdle has the shorter commute
White River 18 minBowdle 9 min
Work in town+13.5 pts
More of White River’s workers stay in town
White River 27.4%Bowdle 13.9%
Bachelor’s degree++10.7 pts
More adults in Bowdle have a degree
Bowdle 26%White River 15.3%
Homeowners+8.5 pts renters
White River has more renters
Bowdle 59.6%White River 51.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Bowdle

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.

White River$470/mo
Typical home $75K (Census) · tax rate 1.23% · or rent about $1,125/mo · Housing →
Bowdle$690/mo
Typical home $113K (Census) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $783/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,700 a year, between Bowdle and White River.

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
D−White RiverBetter than 2% of districts in the state B−BowdleBetter than 53% 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
White RiverBowdle
Snow a year40″47″
January low12°F3°F
July high90°F83°F
Growing season (days)151d148d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th25th
Outdoors & history
White RiverBowdle
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled19121886
National Register places11
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—2
Community
White RiverBowdle
Library hours a week—30 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

141 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

White RiverSDBowdleSD
White River ↔ Bowdle141 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.

White RiverBowdle
People
Population 606Highest 475Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.3%Lowest SD: +8.9% -6.4%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 37.5±3.5Lowest about the SD average 39.1±4.1Highest about the SD average
Bowdle and White River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.4%±4.9Highest SD: 24.2% 24.6%±7.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
White River and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.8%±5.7Lowest SD: 18% 27.2%±4.4Highest SD: 18%
Bowdle and White River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.3%Lowest SD: 31.9% 26%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.6%±4.9Highest SD: 5% 1.7%±2.6Lowest SD: 5%
White River and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $82,692±$65kHighest 10% above SD $63,750±$29kLowest 15% below SD
White River and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $75,000±$36kLowest 71% below SD $112,500±$57kHighest 56% below SD
Bowdle and White River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,125±$286Highest 19% above SD $783±$249Lowest 17% below SD
White River and Bowdle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $924Lowest 66% below SD $1,250Highest 54% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 9.3%±20.1Lowest SD: 39.8% 26.6%±24.4Highest SD: 39.8%
Bowdle and White River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 35.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 8.4%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 51.1%Lowest SD: 68.6% 59.6%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965 15 yrs older than SD 1965 15 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest about the SD average 9 minLowest 47% below SD
Work from home 2%±2.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 10.9%±3.9Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 27.4%Highest 13.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miLowest 32.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.57Highest 1.31Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (10%)Roscoe (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BowdleFew work in White River
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Highest 83.7Lowest
Schools
School district White River School District 47-1Bowdle School District 22-1
High school in town White River High School - 01Bowdle High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 9.3Highest 5.0Lowest
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.

White River neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to White River’s Town Square.

Bowdle neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bowdle’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like White River

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Faulkton670 people · $100K homes
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Dupree557 people · $66K homes
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Colome338 people · $62K homes
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Hayti444 people · $123K 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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