Findlay vs Yankton

Which is the better fit for you?

Findlay, OH
61
Area Score
Top 41% nationally
Yankton, SD
61
Area Score
Top 42% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Findlay and Yankton receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Findlay to Yankton

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Findlay or Yankton, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$198 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $929 in Yankton against $1,127 in Findlay.
The median home
17% more
$222,700 in Yankton against $191,000 in Findlay.
The weather you would swap
Winters 10°F colder
Normal January lows are 10°F in Yankton against 20°F in Findlay; July highs are 87°F against 85°F (summers 2°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Findlay
Yankton
Opportunity: Yankton is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
56 · Bottom 49%
vs
60 · Top 43%
Growth: Yankton is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
60 · Top 29%
vs
62 · Top 25%
Climate: Findlay is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
63 · Bottom 30%
vs
56 · Bottom 7%
Physical resilience: Yankton is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
52 · Bottom 45%
vs
55 · Bottom 47%
Housing affordability: Yankton is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
81 · Top 10%
vs
86 · Top 5%
Schools: Findlay is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
57 · Top 41%
vs
54 · Top 44%
Access: Findlay is the more favorable of the two.
Access
82 · Bottom 23%
vs
64 · Bottom 8%
Economic stability: Findlay is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
53 · Bottom 41%
vs
48 · Bottom 32%

Measured values

MetricFindlayYanktonSource period
Population40,28715,5402024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$61,423 ±$3,223$67,804 ±$10,0732024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$37,029 ±$2,056$41,073 ±$5,3362024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,049/sq mi1,778/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$191,000$222,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$975$790 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,127$929 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate59.9%66.3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.3%1.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.1% — more favorable−1.7%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate30.6% ±3%33.2% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.6% ±2%13.3% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)26115512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents6.510.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+11.1%−3.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high85°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low20°F10°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation33.8"28.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport38 mi — more favorable58 miNASR current cycle
Average commute17.7 min14.2 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.041.42024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools1462024-25 school year
Students per teacher18.717.1 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency67.6%48.8%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency69.6%59.8%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility40.4%34.6%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Ohio and South Dakota do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Findlay

Elevated or high exposure: hail, strong wind.

Yankton

Elevated or high exposure: drought, tornado, hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Findlay
—
Findlay: Your Score
61
Area Score
Yankton
—
Yankton: Your Score
61
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Findlay, OH · Yankton, SD · How this is calculated: methodology