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Bison Township vs Bison

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (146× in Bison) and jobs per worker (33.7× in Bison Township).

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Bison Township, SDA small town of 59Perkins County · 59 people
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Bison, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 406 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.

Bison TownshipA small town of 59
Quiet strengthsBison Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bison Township →
BisonA regional job hub
Work226 jobsbased in Bison, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 10%of SD districts Housing$182K typical home44% below the SD typical home All about Bison →
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.

Street grid146×
Bison has the more walkable street grid
Bison 43.8Bison Township 0.3
Jobs per worker33.7×
Bison Township is more of a job hub
Bison Township 61.00Bison 1.81
Trails9.3×
Bison Township has more miles of trail
Bison Township 9.3 miBison 1.0 mi
Household income2.5×
Households in Bison Township earn more
Bison Township $176,563Bison $71,607
Size6.9×
Bison is the bigger place
Bison 406Bison Township 59
Property tax bill+79%
Tax bills are bigger in Bison Township
Bison Township $2,400Bison $1,342
★ What stands out · Where they are

Bison Township and Bison share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bison TownshipBisonBison TownshipBison
Bison Township ↔ Bison3.4 miles apart · They share a border
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.

Schools
–Bison TownshipNot graded DBisonBetter than 10% of districts in the state
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
Bison TownshipBison
Snow a year40″40″
January low10°F10°F
July high86°F86°F
Growing season (days)144d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)54th54th
Outdoors & history
Bison TownshipBison
Trails9 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.7%0%
Settled—1907
National Register places—1
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—1
Community
Bison TownshipBison
Library hours a week—20 hrs
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.

Bison TownshipBison
People
Population 59Lowest 406Highest
Median age 8.6±53.4Lowest 77% below SD 43±8.3Highest 13% above SD
Bison and Bison Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 55.9%±92.5Highest SD: 24.2% 26.1%±6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Bison Township and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.3%±45.2Lowest SD: 18% 24.9%±5.6Highest SD: 18%
Bison and Bison Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 34.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 22.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±24Lowest SD: 5% 0.5%±2.6Highest SD: 5%
Bison and Bison Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $176,563±$54kHighest 135% above SD $71,607±$25kLowest 5% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied — $82,000±$34k 68% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $932±$266 about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,400Highest 12% below SD $1,342Lowest 51% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 28.3%±28.4 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 4.9%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest SD: 68.6% 75.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1941Lowest 39 yrs older than SD 1963Highest 17 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 11 min 40% below SD
Work from home 78.9%±62.2Highest SD: 9.7% 11%±12.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Bison Township and Bison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 18.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 61.3 miHighest 32.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 61.00Highest 1.81Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town —Lemmon (43%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BisonFew work in Bison Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.7%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 9.3 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.3Lowest 43.8Highest
Schools
School district —Bison School District 52-1
High school in town —Bison High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 8.8
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.

Bison Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bison Township’s Town Square.

Bison neighborsTown Square →

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Bordering Bison Township

S
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Scotch Cap Township1 people
R
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Rainbow Township42 people
M
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Marshfield Township11 people

Towns like Bison Township

A
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Alpena Township58 people · $475K homes
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Pearl Township58 people
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Custer Township41 people
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Pleasant View Township71 people

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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