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Aurora vs Aurora Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (70.9× in Aurora) and size (10.8× in Aurora).

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Aurora, SDOne of the healthiest townsSouth Dakota · 1,444 people
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Aurora Township, SDA small town of 134Brookings County · 134 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.

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 →
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 about the same each month

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$1,930/mo
Typical home $307K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.26% · or rent about $840/mo · Housing →
Aurora Township$1,810/mo
Typical home $285K (Census) · tax rate 1.32% · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Aurora 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 and Aurora Township share a border

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

AuroraAurora TownshipAuroraAurora Township
Aurora ↔ Aurora Township3.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
6 Aurora residents work in Aurora Township (1.3% of its workers)
2 Aurora Township residents work in Aurora (1.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Aurora →
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.

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
AuroraAurora Township
Snow a year36″36″
January low4°F4°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th40th
Outdoors & history
AuroraAurora Township
Trails0 mi4 mi
Conserved land0%0.9%
Archive photos—4
Community
AuroraAurora 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.

AuroraAurora Township
People
Population 1,444Highest 134Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +96.8% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 29±2.4Lowest 24% below SD 41±16.1Highest 8% above SD
Aurora Township and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.1%±5.8Highest SD: 24.2% 23.9%±22.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Aurora and Aurora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 5.5%±1.8Lowest SD: 18% 27.6%±21.5Highest SD: 18%
Aurora Township and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 42.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 48.9%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 12.6%±10.1Highest SD: 5% 3%±8.9Lowest SD: 5%
Aurora and Aurora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,952±$9kHighest 28% above SD $68,646±$19kLowest 9% below SD
Aurora and Aurora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $234,600±$17kLowest 9% below SD $285,400±$115kHighest 11% above SD
Aurora Township and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $840±$192 11% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,951Lowest 8% above SD $3,773Highest 39% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.7%±19.9Highest SD: 39.8% 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8%
Aurora and Aurora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75%Lowest SD: 68.6% 81.1%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2010Highest 30 yrs newer than SD 1977Lowest 3 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 7% below SD 14 minLowest 24% below SD
Work from home 11.4%±5.3Lowest SD: 9.7% 22.1%±15Highest SD: 9.7%
Aurora Township and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 mi 5.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Lowest 0.52Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (55%)Brookings (54%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Aurora Township2% work in Aurora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 3.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.8Highest 0.9Lowest
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 neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora’s Town Square.

Aurora Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Aurora

Towns like Aurora

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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