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Compare towns

Whitewood vs Crooks

344 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+12.5 pts in Crooks) and street grid (+77% in Whitewood).

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Whitewood, SDHomes around $421KSouth Dakota · 912 people
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Crooks, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,268 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.

WhitewoodHomes around $421K
Housing$421K typical home31% above the SD typical home All about Whitewood →
CrooksOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 83%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 27%of SD districts All about Crooks →
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.

Growth since 2010+12.5 pts
Crooks has grown faster since 2010
Crooks +7.3%Whitewood -5.2%
Street grid+77%
Whitewood has the more walkable street grid
Whitewood 93.7Crooks 53.0
Bachelor’s degree++12.7 pts
More adults in Crooks have a degree
Crooks 36.5%Whitewood 23.8%
Property tax bill+22%
Tax bills are bigger in Crooks
Crooks $3,078Whitewood $2,531
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $320 more a month in Whitewood

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.

Whitewood$2,570/mo
Typical home $421K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.04% · or rent about $946/mo · Housing →
Crooks$2,250/mo
Typical home $368K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.04% · or rent about $1,135/mo · Housing →

The difference: $320 a month, about $3,900 a year, between Whitewood and Crooks.

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−WhitewoodBetter than 51% of districts in the state CCrooksBetter than 27% of districts in the state
Health
–WhitewoodNot graded A−CrooksHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns
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
WhitewoodCrooks
Snow a year48″40″
January low15°F—
July high86°F—
Growing season (days)147d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)70th28th
Outdoors & history
WhitewoodCrooks
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
National Register places1—
Archive photos—1
Community
WhitewoodCrooks
Library hours a week44 hrs21 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

344 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WhitewoodSDCrooksSD
Whitewood ↔ Crooks344 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.

WhitewoodCrooks
People
Population 912Lowest 1,268Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.2%Lowest SD: +8.9% +7.3%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 40.1±4.9Lowest 6% above SD 43.6±1.7Highest 15% above SD
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27%±7.7Highest SD: 24.2% 22%±2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Whitewood and Crooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.5%±2.4Highest SD: 18% 11.9%±3.4Lowest SD: 18%
Whitewood and Crooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 36.5%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±2.9Highest SD: 5% 2.2%±1.5Lowest SD: 5%
Whitewood and Crooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,500±$19kLowest 3% above SD $98,984±$14kHighest 32% above SD
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $243,300±$39kLowest 5% below SD $295,400±$29kHighest 15% above SD
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $946±$48Lowest about the SD average $1,135±$315Highest 20% above SD
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,531Lowest 7% below SD $3,078Highest 13% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 33.3%±26.2Lowest SD: 39.8% 54.8%±25Highest SD: 39.8%
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2%Highest SD: 11.9% 0.5%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82.9%Lowest SD: 68.6% 83.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Lowest 1 yr newer than SD 1991Highest 11 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 42% above SD 26 minHighest 48% above SD
Work from home 3.8%±2.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 5.3%±2.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Crooks and Whitewood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 1.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.33Lowest 0.40Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Spearfish (35%)Sioux Falls (73%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CrooksFew work in Whitewood
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 93.7Highest 53.0Lowest
Schools
School district Meade School District 46-1Tri-Valley School District 49-6
High school in town None in townNone 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.

Whitewood neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Whitewood’s Town Square.

Crooks neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Crooks’s Town Square.

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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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