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Aurora Township vs Brookings

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (178.7× in Brookings) and street grid (61.8× in Brookings).

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Aurora Township, SDA small town of 134Brookings County · 134 people
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Brookings, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 23,948 people
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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.

Aurora TownshipA small town of 134
Quiet strengthsAurora Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Aurora Township →
BrookingsA history town
History29 historic places29 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Work15,183 jobsbased in Brookings, a regional job hub All about Brookings →
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.

Size178.7×
Brookings is the bigger place
Brookings 23,948Aurora Township 134
Street grid61.8×
Brookings has the more walkable street grid
Brookings 55.6Aurora Township 0.9
Work in town+62.9 pts
More of Brookings’s workers stay in town
Brookings 62.9%Aurora Township 0%
Homeowners+33.4 pts renters
Brookings has more renters
Aurora Township 81.1%Brookings 47.7%
Jobs per worker2.9×
Brookings is more of a job hub
Brookings 1.50Aurora Township 0.52
In college+25.8 pts
Brookings is more of a college town
Brookings 28.8%Aurora Township 3%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $210 more a month in Brookings

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.

Aurora Township$1,810/mo
Typical home $285K (Census) · tax rate 1.32% · Housing →
Brookings$2,020/mo
Typical home $325K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $889/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,500 a year, between Brookings and Aurora 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

Aurora Township and Brookings share a border

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

Aurora TownshipBrookingsAurora TownshipBrookings
Aurora Township ↔ Brookings4.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
67 Aurora Township residents work in Brookings (54.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Aurora Township →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Safety
–Aurora TownshipNot graded BBrookingsSafer than 62% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Aurora TownshipNot graded B−BrookingsBetter than 53% of districts in the state
Health
–Aurora TownshipNot graded A−BrookingsHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns
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
Aurora TownshipBrookings
Snow a year36″36″
January low4°F4°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th35th
Outdoors & history
Aurora TownshipBrookings
Trails4 mi6 mi
Conserved land0.9%5.7%
National Register places—29
Archive photos46
Famous people born here—22
Community
Aurora TownshipBrookings
Library hours a week—66 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

Aurora TownshipBrookings
People
Population 134Lowest 23,948Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +6% SD: +8.9%
Median age 41±16.1Highest 8% above SD 24.7±0.5Lowest 35% below SD
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.9%±22.2Highest SD: 24.2% 18.6%±1.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.6%±21.5Highest SD: 18% 12.1%±1.4Lowest SD: 18%
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.9%Highest SD: 31.9% 47.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3%±8.9Lowest SD: 5% 28.8%±1.9Highest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $68,646±$19kHighest 9% below SD $63,493±$6kLowest 15% below SD
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $285,400±$115kHighest 11% above SD $265,500±$16kLowest 3% above SD
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $889±$68 6% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,773Highest 39% above SD $3,097Lowest 14% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8% 40.7%±6.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Brookings and Aurora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 16.9%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.1%Highest SD: 68.6% 47.7%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 3 yrs older than SD 1986Highest 6 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 14 minHighest 24% below SD 13 minLowest 30% below SD
Work from home 22.1%±15Highest SD: 9.7% 10.4%±2.3Lowest SD: 9.7%
Aurora Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 62.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.52Lowest 1.50Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (54%)Sioux Falls (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 54% work in BrookingsFew work in Aurora Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Lowest 5.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.6 miLowest 6.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 22Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.9Lowest 55.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#21 of 34 in SD
School district —Brookings School District 05-1
High school in town —Brookings High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 16.7
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.

Aurora Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora Township’s Town Square.

Brookings neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brookings’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Aurora Township and Brookings

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

Bordering Aurora Township

A
+ Compare
Aurora1,444 people · $235K homes
T
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Trenton Township249 people
A
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Afton Township129 people · $321K homes
B
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Bushnell66 people · $90K homes

Towns like Aurora Township

W
+ Compare
Waverly Township250 people · $314K homes
M
+ Compare
Meckling Township273 people · $277K homes
L
+ Compare
Lisbon Township199 people
+ Compare
Swan Lake Township145 people · $330K homes

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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