Huron vs Gillette

Which is the better fit for you?

Huron, SD
46
Area Score
Bottom 10% nationally
Gillette, WY
56
Area Score
Bottom 38% nationally

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

Gillette receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

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 Huron to Gillette

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Huron or Gillette, 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
+$64 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,019 in Gillette against $955 in Huron.
The median home
66% more
$264,500 in Gillette against $159,000 in Huron.
The weather you would swap
Winters 8°F milder
Normal January lows are 14°F in Gillette against 6°F in Huron; July highs are 87°F against 86°F (summers 1°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

Huron
Gillette
Opportunity: Gillette is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
56 · Top 50%
vs
66 · Top 31%
Growth: Gillette is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
27 · Bottom 12%
vs
40 · Bottom 29%
Climate: Gillette is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
53 · Bottom 2%
vs
55 · Bottom 6%
Physical resilience: Huron is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
49 · Bottom 41%
vs
47 · Bottom 39%
Housing affordability: Huron is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
78 · Top 19%
vs
70 · Top 41%
Access: Gillette is the more favorable of the two.
Access
39 · Bottom 2%
vs
46 · Bottom 3%
Economic stability: Gillette is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
47 · Bottom 31%
vs
55 · Bottom 45%

Measured values

MetricHuronGilletteSource period
Population14,38533,4312024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$61,452$81,316 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$31,193$38,797 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,478/sq mi1,441/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$159,000$264,5002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$888 ±$59$976 ±$772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$955 — more favorable$1,019FY2026
Homeownership rate68.3%73.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate1.9% — more favorable2.6%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−3.1%−0.2% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate27.0% ±4%24.8% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate15.7%9.3% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)73312 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.51.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−36.4%+43.5%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high86°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low6°F14°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation23.3"13.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport91 mi81 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute13.5 min — more favorable19.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.134.22024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools10202024-25 school year
Students per teacher17.213.2 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency34.7%47.6%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency44.7%46.9%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility66.6%42.2%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.

2 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.

South Dakota and Wyoming 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

Huron

Elevated or high exposure: cold wave, tornado.

Gillette

Elevated or high exposure: hail, wildfire, earthquake.

Your best match

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

Huron
—
Huron: Your Score
46
Area Score
Gillette
—
Gillette: Your Score
56
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Huron, SD · Gillette, WY · How this is calculated: methodology