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Compare towns

Brandon vs Split Rock Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (11.3× in Brandon) and trails (6.2× in Split Rock Township).

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Brandon, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 10,996 people
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Split Rock Township, SDKnown for its schoolsMinnehaha County · 3,143 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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $560 more a month in Split Rock 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.

Brandon$2,450/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.15% · or rent about $976/mo · Housing →
Split Rock Township$3,010/mo
Typical home $500K (Census) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $987/mo · Housing →

The difference: $560 a month, about $6,800 a year, between Split Rock Township and Brandon.

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

Brandon and Split Rock Township share a border

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

BrandonSplit Rock TownshipBrandonSplit Rock Township
Brandon ↔ Split Rock Township3.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
123 Split Rock Township residents work in Brandon (6.7% of its workers)
40 Brandon residents work in Split Rock Township (0.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Split Rock Township →
Report cards

Brandon places higher on 12 of 19 SD lists

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
BrandonSplit Rock Township
Snow a year49″49″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th24th
Outdoors & history
BrandonSplit Rock Township
Trails1 mi6 mi
Conserved land3.4%3.8%
National Register places—1
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here3—
Community
BrandonSplit Rock Township
Library hours a week56 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.

BrandonSplit Rock Township
People
Population 10,996Highest 3,143Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +25.8%Highest SD: +8.9% -1.5%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 36.7±2.2Lowest 3% below SD 49.3±9.7Highest 30% above SD
Kids under 18 32.4%±3.7Highest SD: 24.2% 22.2%±5.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 14.8%±2.7Lowest SD: 18% 17.1%±4.9Highest SD: 18%
Split Rock Township and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41.9%Lowest SD: 31.9% 49.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±0.7Lowest SD: 5% 3%±2.3Highest SD: 5%
Split Rock Township and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $110,806±$10kLowest 48% above SD $147,717±$28kHighest 97% above SD
Split Rock Township and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $336,600±$19kLowest 31% above SD $499,600±$51kHighest 94% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $976±$73Lowest 3% above SD $987±$424Highest 4% above SD
Split Rock Township and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,886Lowest 43% above SD $4,741Highest 74% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35%±11Highest SD: 39.8% 21.3%±36.1Lowest SD: 39.8%
Brandon and Split Rock Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.4%Highest SD: 11.9% 0.6%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.1%Lowest SD: 68.6% 93.2%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2001Highest 21 yrs newer than SD 1984Lowest 4 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 3% above SD 19 minHighest 4% above SD
Work from home 18.8%±4.8Highest SD: 9.7% 12.1%±5.8Lowest SD: 9.7%
Brandon and Split Rock Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.1%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 6.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Highest 0.24Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (60%)Sioux Falls (72%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Split Rock Township7% work in Brandon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.4%Lowest 3.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miLowest 5.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.0Highest 5.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #1 of 34 in SD#4 of 34 in SD
School district Brandon Valley School District 49-2Brandon Valley School District 49-2
High school in town Brandon Valley High School - 01None in town
Students per teacherat that high school 20.5 —
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.

Brandon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brandon’s Town Square.

Split Rock Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Split Rock Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Brandon

Towns like Brandon

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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