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Alcester Township vs Virginia Township

Next-door neighbors in Union County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4× in Alcester Township) and typical home built (22 yrs in Alcester Township).

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Alcester Township, SDA small town of 142Union County · 142 people
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Virginia Township, SDA small town of 315Union County · 315 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.

Alcester TownshipA small town of 142
Quiet strengthsAlcester Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Alcester Township →
Virginia TownshipA small town of 315
Quiet strengthsVirginia Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Virginia Township →
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 $450 more a month in Virginia Township

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.

Alcester Township$1,570/mo
Typical home $233K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →
Virginia Township$2,020/mo
Typical home $356K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,400 a year, between Virginia Township and Alcester Township.

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.

Where they are

Alcester Township and Virginia Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Alcester TownshipVirginia TownshipAlcester TownshipVirginia Township
Alcester Township ↔ Virginia Township5.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Alcester TownshipVirginia Township
Snow a year31″31″
January low7°F7°F
July high85°F85°F
Growing season (days)155d155d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st41st
Outdoors & history
Alcester TownshipVirginia Township
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—3.1%
National Register places—1
Archive photos5—
Community
Alcester TownshipVirginia Township
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.

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.

Alcester TownshipVirginia Township
People
Population 142Lowest 315Highest
Median age 47.8±19.1Lowest 26% above SD 47.9±7.5Highest 26% above SD
Virginia Township and Alcester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.8%±20.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 21.9%±10.9Highest SD: 24.2%
Virginia Township and Alcester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.2%±21.7Highest SD: 18% 18.7%±11.7Lowest SD: 18%
Alcester Township and Virginia Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.3%Lowest SD: 31.9% 21.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±10 SD: 5% 0%±4.5 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $110,156±$36kLowest 47% above SD $110,655±$65kHighest 47% above SD
Virginia Township and Alcester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $233,300±$107kLowest 9% below SD $355,800±$127kHighest 38% above SD
Virginia Township and Alcester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,902 30% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.8%±100 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 16.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78%Lowest SD: 68.6% 89.9%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1960Highest 20 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 36% above SD 29 minHighest 64% above SD
Work from home 0%±14.1Lowest SD: 9.7% 11.6%±13.5Highest SD: 9.7%
Virginia Township and Alcester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.8%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.8 miLowest 29.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Highest 0.04Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (31%)Sioux Falls (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Virginia TownshipFew work in Alcester Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.6 1.6
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.

Alcester Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alcester Township’s Town Square.

Virginia Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Virginia Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Alcester Township and Virginia Township

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Bordering Alcester Township

Towns like Alcester Township

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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