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Bethel Township vs Star Township

Next-door neighbors in Clay County. The biggest differences: homeowners (+40.3 pts renters in Bethel Township) and typical home built (33 yrs in Bethel Township).

B ×
Bethel Township, SDA small town of 89Clay County · 89 people
S ×
Star Township, SDKnown for its schoolsClay County · 98 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.

Bethel TownshipA small town of 89
Quiet strengthsBethel Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bethel 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 $840 more a month in Star 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.

Bethel Township$1,110/mo
Typical home $181K (Census) · tax rate 1.02% · Housing →
Star Township$1,940/mo
Typical home $340K (Census) · tax rate 0.57% · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between Star Township and Bethel 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

Bethel Township and Star Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bethel TownshipStar TownshipBethel TownshipStar Township
Bethel Township ↔ Star Township6.5 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Bethel TownshipStar Township
Snow a year38″31″
January low10°F7°F
July high87°F84°F
Growing season (days)164d151d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)66th66th
Outdoors & history
Bethel TownshipStar Township
Trails8 mi11 mi
Conserved land0.1%0%
National Register places—1
Community
Bethel TownshipStar 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.

Bethel TownshipStar Township
People
Population 89Lowest 98Highest
Median age 59.4±12.8Highest 56% above SD 40.4±30.7Lowest 6% above SD
Bethel Township and Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 5.6%±30.9Lowest SD: 24.2% 31.6%±27.4Highest SD: 24.2%
Star Township and Bethel Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.2%±36.5Highest SD: 18% 18.4%±33.3Lowest SD: 18%
Bethel Township and Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 25%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±15.9Lowest SD: 5% 15.3%±22.9Highest SD: 5%
Star Township and Bethel Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $125,714±$90k 67% above SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $181,300±$121kLowest 30% below SD $340,000±$195kHighest 32% above SD
Star Township and Bethel Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,854Lowest 32% below SD $1,929Highest 29% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1971Highest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 34% above SD 27 minHighest 50% above SD
Work from home 11.1%±14.8Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±22.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Bethel Township and Star Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 30.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.27Lowest 0.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Vermillion (22%)Sioux Falls (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Star TownshipFew work in Bethel Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.3 miLowest 10.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Highest 0.9Lowest
Schools
School district —Irene - Wakonda School District 13-3
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.

Bethel Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bethel Township’s Town Square.

Star Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Star Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Bethel Township

Towns like Bethel 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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