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Compare towns

Yankton vs Brandon

63 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (9.3× in Yankton) and work in town (+44.1 pts in Yankton).

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Yankton, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 15,540 people
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Brandon, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 10,996 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $740 more a month in Brandon

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.

Yankton$1,710/mo
Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.13% · or rent about $790/mo · Housing →
Brandon$2,450/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.15% · or rent about $976/mo · Housing →

The difference: $740 a month, about $8,900 a year, between Brandon and Yankton.

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

Brandon places higher on 13 of 20 SD lists

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.

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
YanktonBrandon
Snow a year38″49″
January low10°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)164d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th55th
Outdoors & history
YanktonBrandon
Trails8 mi1 mi
Conserved land4.4%3.4%
Settled1858—
National Register places24—
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—3
Community
YanktonBrandon
Library hours a week60 hrs56 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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

63 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Yankton ↔ Brandon63 miles apart
Who commutes between them
36 Brandon residents work in Yankton (0.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Brandon →
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.

YanktonBrandon
People
Population 15,540Highest 10,996Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% +25.8%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 41.4±1.7Highest 9% above SD 36.7±2.2Lowest 3% below SD
Kids under 18 21.2%±2.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 32.4%±3.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 22%±2.7Highest SD: 18% 14.8%±2.7Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.2%Lowest SD: 31.9% 41.9%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 1.6%±0.7Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,804±$10kLowest 10% below SD $110,806±$10kHighest 48% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $222,700±$17kLowest 13% below SD $336,600±$19kHighest 31% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $790±$61Lowest 16% below SD $976±$73Highest 3% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,507Lowest 8% below SD $3,886Highest 43% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36%±8.3Highest SD: 39.8% 35%±11Lowest SD: 39.8%
Yankton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.1%Highest SD: 11.9% 1.4%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 80.1%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 4 yrs older than SD 2001Highest 21 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 25% below SD 18 minHighest 3% above SD
Work from home 5.5%±2.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 18.8%±4.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 61.2%Highest 17.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 1.8 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Highest 0.61Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (9%)Sioux Falls (60%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Brandon1% work in Yankton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Highest 3.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.4 miHighest 0.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.6Highest 59.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #12 of 34 in SD#1 of 34 in SD
School district Yankton School District 63-3Brandon Valley School District 49-2
High school in town Yankton High School - 01Brandon Valley High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 18.0Lowest 20.5Highest
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.

Yankton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Yankton’s Town Square.

Brandon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brandon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Yankton and Brandon

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

Bordering Yankton

Towns like Yankton

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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