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Compare towns

Wolsey vs McLaughlin

150 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5.8× in McLaughlin) and jobs per worker (3.7× in McLaughlin).

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Wolsey, SDA small town of 692South Dakota · 692 people
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McLaughlin, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 683 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.

WolseyA small town of 692
Quiet strengthsWolsey doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wolsey →
McLaughlinKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 1%of SD districts Work269 jobsbased in McLaughlin, a regional job hub All about McLaughlin →
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.

Street grid5.8×
McLaughlin has the more walkable street grid
McLaughlin 134Wolsey 23.2
Jobs per worker3.7×
McLaughlin is more of a job hub
McLaughlin 2.54Wolsey 0.69
Home values+62%
Homes cost more in Wolsey
Wolsey $101,200McLaughlin $62,400
Trails3×
McLaughlin has more miles of trail
McLaughlin 0.3 miWolsey 0.1 mi
Work in town+12.2 pts
More of McLaughlin’s workers stay in town
McLaughlin 19.8%Wolsey 7.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $210 more a month in Wolsey

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.

Wolsey$620/mo
Typical home $101K (Census) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $739/mo · Housing →
McLaughlin$410/mo
Typical home $62K (Census) · tax rate 1.52% · or rent about $923/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Wolsey and McLaughlin.

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
BWolseyBetter than 60% of districts in the state D−McLaughlinBetter than 1% 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
WolseyMcLaughlin
Snow a year44″35″
January low6°F4°F
July high86°F85°F
Growing season (days)146d137d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st78th
Community
WolseyMcLaughlin
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

150 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WolseySDMcLaughlinSD
Wolsey ↔ McLaughlin150 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.

WolseyMcLaughlin
People
Population 692Highest 683Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -14.2% SD: +8.9%
Median age 33.8±3.7Highest 11% below SD 30.5±3.1Lowest 20% below SD
Wolsey and McLaughlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 34.7%±0.3Highest SD: 24.2% 30.7%±3.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Wolsey and McLaughlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.3%±3.9Highest SD: 18% 10.4%±3.7Lowest SD: 18%
Wolsey and McLaughlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.5%Lowest SD: 31.9% 25.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±1.9Lowest SD: 5% 5.7%±2.3Highest SD: 5%
McLaughlin and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $57,500±$6kLowest 23% below SD $62,159±$18kHighest 17% below SD
McLaughlin and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $101,200±$23kHighest 61% below SD $62,400±$4kLowest 76% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $739±$164Lowest 22% below SD $923±$68Highest about the SD average
McLaughlin and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,083Highest 60% below SD $951Lowest 65% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.1%±19.3Highest SD: 39.8% 24.2%±55.3Lowest SD: 39.8%
Wolsey and McLaughlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.4%Lowest SD: 11.9% 22%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.2%Lowest SD: 68.6% 76.3%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 8 yrs older than SD 1964Lowest 16 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest about the SD average 20 minHighest 12% above SD
Work from home 2.1%±2Lowest SD: 9.7% 7.1%±3.7Highest SD: 9.7%
McLaughlin and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7.6%Lowest 19.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 26.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.69Lowest 2.54Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Huron (30%)Mobridge (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in McLaughlinFew work in Wolsey
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 23.2Lowest 134Highest
Schools
School district Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6McLaughlin School District 15-2
High school in town Wolsey Wessington High School - 01McLaughlin High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 11.4Highest 8.2Lowest
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.

Wolsey neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wolsey’s Town Square.

McLaughlin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to McLaughlin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wolsey and McLaughlin

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

Bordering Wolsey

W
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Wolsey Township75 people

Towns like Wolsey

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Murdo599 people · $132K homes
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Estelline831 people · $142K homes
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Ipswich1,048 people · $165K 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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