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Badger vs Vernon Township

53 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (13.3× in Badger) and property tax bill (2.6× in Vernon Township).

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Badger, SDA small town of 162South Dakota · 162 people
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Vernon Township, SDKnown for its schoolsGrant County · 201 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.

BadgerA small town of 162
Quiet strengthsBadger doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Badger →
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 · 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
BadgerVernon Township
Snow a year34″47″
January low—3°F
July high—83°F
Growing season (days)—151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th53rd
Outdoors & history
BadgerVernon Township
National Register places1—
Famous people born here1—
Community
BadgerVernon 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.

Where they are

53 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Badger ↔ Vernon Township53 miles apart
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.

BadgerVernon Township
People
Population 162Lowest 201Highest
Median age 37±17.2Highest about the SD average 35.2±42Lowest 7% below SD
Badger and Vernon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.4%±15.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 46.3%±34.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Vernon Township and Badger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.7%±10Lowest SD: 18% 30.8%±6.4Highest SD: 18%
Vernon Township and Badger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.7%Highest SD: 31.9% 7.4%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.2%±6.4Highest SD: 5% 0%±7Lowest SD: 5%
Badger and Vernon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,000±$20kLowest 13% below SD $106,250±$33kHighest 42% above SD
Vernon Township and Badger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $70,000±$19k 73% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $579Lowest 79% below SD $1,500Highest 45% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 3.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1967Highest 13 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 min 27% above SD —
Work from home 16.5%±15.1Highest SD: 9.7% 8.3%±9.6Lowest SD: 9.7%
Badger and Vernon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miHighest 17.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 0.45Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (18%)Milbank (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Vernon TownshipFew work in Badger
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 3.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.3Highest 1.0Lowest
Schools
School district —Milbank School District 25-4
High school in town —None in town
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.

Badger neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Badger’s Town Square.

Vernon Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vernon Township’s Town Square.

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Towns like Badger

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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