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Compare towns

Wolsey vs Murdo

117 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5× in Murdo) and work in town (+33.6 pts in Murdo).

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Wolsey, SDA small town of 692South Dakota · 692 people
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Murdo, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 599 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 →
MurdoKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 92%of SD districts HistorySettled in 19071 place on the National Register All about Murdo →
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×
Murdo has the more walkable street grid
Murdo 116Wolsey 23.2
Work in town+33.6 pts
More of Murdo’s workers stay in town
Murdo 41.2%Wolsey 7.6%
Property tax bill+59%
Tax bills are bigger in Murdo
Murdo $1,726Wolsey $1,083
Average commute6 min
Murdo has the shorter commute
Wolsey 17 minMurdo 12 min
Jobs per worker+68%
Murdo is more of a job hub
Murdo 1.16Wolsey 0.69
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Murdo

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 →
Murdo$840/mo
Typical home $132K (Census) · tax rate 1.30% · or rent about $534/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Murdo and Wolsey.

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 AMurdoBetter 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
WolseyMurdo
Snow a year44″49″
January low6°F12°F
July high86°F87°F
Growing season (days)146d158d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st48th
Outdoors & history
WolseyMurdo
Settled—1907
National Register places—1
Archive photos—18
Community
WolseyMurdo
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

117 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WolseySDMurdoSD
Wolsey ↔ Murdo117 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.

WolseyMurdo
People
Population 692Highest 599Lowest
Median age 33.8±3.7Highest 11% below SD 33.7±15.3Lowest 11% below SD
Wolsey and Murdo 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% 29%±13.9Lowest SD: 24.2%
Wolsey and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.3%±3.9Lowest SD: 18% 23.9%±9.9Highest SD: 18%
Murdo and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 23.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±1.9Highest SD: 5% 2.3%±2.4Lowest SD: 5%
Wolsey and Murdo 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 $67,045±$23kHighest 11% below SD
Murdo 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±$23kLowest 61% below SD $132,400±$41kHighest 49% below SD
Murdo and Wolsey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $739±$164Highest 22% below SD $534±$335Lowest 44% below SD
Wolsey and Murdo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,083Lowest 60% below SD $1,726Highest 37% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.1%±19.3Highest SD: 39.8% 4.1%±35.8Lowest SD: 39.8%
Wolsey and Murdo 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% 21.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.2%Highest SD: 68.6% 72.4%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 8 yrs older than SD 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest about the SD average 12 minLowest 33% below SD
Work from home 2.1%±2Lowest SD: 9.7% 3.6%±4.2Highest SD: 9.7%
Murdo 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 41.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 33.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.69Lowest 1.16Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Huron (30%)Rapid City (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MurdoFew work in Wolsey
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
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 23.2Lowest 116Highest
Schools
School district Wolsey Wessington School District 02-6Jones County School District 37-3
High school in town Wolsey Wessington High School - 01Jones County High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 11.4Highest 7.4Lowest
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.

Murdo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Murdo’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wolsey and Murdo

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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White484 people · $129K homes
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McLaughlin683 people · $62K 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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