Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Collins Township vs Dexter Township

42 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (14.3× in Collins Township) and average commute (6 min in Collins Township).

C ×
Collins Township, SDKnown for its schoolsClark County · 203 people
D ×
Dexter Township, SDAn outdoors townCodington County · 186 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 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 $620 more a month in Collins 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.

Collins Township$2,260/mo
Typical home $334K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →
Dexter Township$1,630/mo
Typical home $277K (Census) · tax rate 0.80% · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Collins Township and Dexter 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.

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
Collins TownshipDexter Township
Snow a year48″32″
January low—2°F
July high—82°F
Growing season (days)—143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th46th
Outdoors & history
Collins TownshipDexter Township
Trails7 mi8 mi
Conserved land16.3%13.9%
National Register places—3
Community
Collins TownshipDexter 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

42 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Collins Township ↔ Dexter Township42 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.

Collins TownshipDexter Township
People
Population 203Highest 186Lowest
Median age 56.5±6Highest 49% above SD 56±24.7Lowest 47% above SD
Collins Township and Dexter Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.1%±9.3Lowest SD: 24.2% 24.2%±9.1Highest SD: 24.2%
Dexter Township and Collins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.2%±14.2Lowest SD: 18% 43%±20.6Highest SD: 18%
Dexter Township and Collins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.9%Highest SD: 31.9% 10.9%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±7 SD: 5% 0%±7.6 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,643±$20kLowest 14% below SD $75,750±$11kHighest about the SD average
Dexter Township and Collins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $334,400±$40kHighest 30% above SD $276,500±$51kLowest 7% above SD
Collins Township and Dexter Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly — $2,200 19% below SD
Below poverty line 5.6%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.6%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990Highest 10 yrs newer than SD 1976Lowest 4 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 6% below SD 23 minHighest 26% above SD
Work from home 40%±29.7Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±11.5Lowest SD: 9.7%
Collins Township and Dexter 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 29.8 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.43Highest 0.03Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Clark (24%)Watertown (50%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Dexter TownshipFew work in Collins Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 16.3%Highest 13.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 6.6 miLowest 8.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.9 0.9
Schools
School district Willow Lake School District 12-3—
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.

Collins Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Collins Township’s Town Square.

Dexter Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dexter Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Collins Township and Dexter Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Collins Township

Towns like Collins 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.

Post to Collins Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in