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Compare towns

Yankton vs Watertown

140 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (+68% in Yankton) and rent (+19% in Watertown).

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Yankton, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 15,540 people
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Watertown, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 23,044 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 differ most

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 $210 more a month in Watertown

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 →
Watertown$1,910/mo
Typical home $315K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $942/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,500 a year, between Watertown 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

Yankton places higher on 15 of 25 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
YanktonWatertown
Snow a year38″41″
January low10°F3°F
July high87°F82°F
Growing season (days)164d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th65th
Outdoors & history
YanktonWatertown
Trails8 mi10 mi
Conserved land4.4%3.3%
Settled18581879
National Register places2428
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—31
Community
YanktonWatertown
Library hours a week60 hrs63 hrs
Colleges in town11
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

140 miles apart

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

Yankton ↔ Watertown140 miles apart
Who commutes between them
46 Yankton residents work in Watertown (0.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Yankton →
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.

YanktonWatertown
People
Population 15,540Lowest 23,044Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.6%Highest SD: +8.9% +5.5%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 41.4±1.7Highest 9% above SD 39.5±1.1Lowest 4% above SD
Yankton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.2%±2.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 21.9%±1.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Watertown and Yankton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22%±2.7Highest SD: 18% 19.8%±1.9Lowest SD: 18%
Yankton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.2%Highest SD: 31.9% 21.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±1.2Highest SD: 5% 5.1%±1.1Lowest SD: 5%
Yankton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,804±$10kLowest 10% below SD $69,600±$7kHighest 7% below SD
Watertown and Yankton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $222,700±$17kLowest 13% below SD $229,400±$15kHighest 11% below SD
Watertown and Yankton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $790±$61Lowest 16% below SD $942±$47Highest about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,507Highest 8% below SD $2,285Lowest 16% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36%±8.3Highest SD: 39.8% 35.9%±5.6Lowest SD: 39.8%
Yankton and Watertown 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% 9%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 65.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 4 yrs older than SD 1979Highest 1 yr older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minHighest 25% below SD 13 minLowest 29% below SD
Work from home 5.5%±2.7Highest SD: 9.7% 4.8%±1.4Lowest SD: 9.7%
Yankton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 61.2%Lowest 66.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 1.8 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Highest 1.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (9%)Sioux Falls (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in WatertownFew work in Yankton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Highest 3.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.4 miLowest 9.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 30Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.6Highest 39.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #12 of 34 in SD#11 of 34 in SD
School district Yankton School District 63-3Watertown School District 14-4
High school in town Yankton High School - 01Watertown High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school 18.0Highest 16.8Lowest
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.

Watertown neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Watertown’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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