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Custer vs Lincoln Township

278 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (49.5× in Custer) and jobs per worker (10.2× in Custer).

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Custer, SDHomes around $474KSouth Dakota · 2,341 people
L ×
Lincoln Township, SDAn outdoors townBrown County · 1,598 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.

CusterHomes around $474K
Housing$474K typical home47% above the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18757 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 72%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Custer →
Lincoln TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors38.1% conserved land8.5 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 70%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lincoln Township →
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 grid49.5×
Custer has the more walkable street grid
Custer 74.2Lincoln Township 1.5
Jobs per worker10.2×
Custer is more of a job hub
Custer 1.33Lincoln Township 0.13
Conserved land+35.1 pts
Lincoln Township has more conserved land
Lincoln Township 38.1%Custer 3%
Work in town+33.7 pts
More of Custer’s workers stay in town
Custer 34.1%Lincoln Township 0.4%
Property tax bill+48%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer
Custer $2,430Lincoln Township $1,643
Age 65++11 pts
Custer has more people 65 and up
Custer 34.7%Lincoln Township 23.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,480 more a month in Custer

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.

Custer$2,890/mo
Typical home $474K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $968/mo · Housing →
Lincoln Township$1,410/mo
Typical home $243K (Census) · tax rate 0.68% · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,800 a year, between Custer and Lincoln 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.

Schools
BCusterBetter than 55% of districts in the state –Lincoln TownshipNot graded
Health
B+CusterHealthier than 72% of U.S. towns B+Lincoln TownshipHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns
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
CusterLincoln Township
Snow a year58″44″
January low16°F—
July high80°F—
Growing season (days)129d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd37th
Outdoors & history
CusterLincoln Township
Trails5 mi9 mi
Conserved land3%38.1%
Settled1875—
National Register places7—
Archive photos12—
Community
CusterLincoln Township
Library hours a week33 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.

Where they are

278 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CusterSDLincoln TownshipBrown County
Custer ↔ Lincoln Township278 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.

CusterLincoln Township
People
Population 2,341Highest 1,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.2%Highest SD: +8.9% -8.6%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 51.2±10.5Highest 35% above SD 51.1±9.6Lowest 34% above SD
Custer and Lincoln Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 13.4%±3.5Lowest SD: 24.2% 19.6%±9.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 34.7%±4.4Highest SD: 18% 23.7%±6Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.1%Lowest SD: 31.9% 29.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±2.8Highest SD: 5% 1.4%±2.4Lowest SD: 5%
Custer and Lincoln Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,369±$11kLowest 4% above SD $79,040±$20kHighest 5% above SD
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $235,600±$40kLowest 8% below SD $242,900±$163kHighest 6% below SD
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $968±$159 about the SD average —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,430Highest 11% below SD $1,643Lowest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.2%±10.1Lowest SD: 39.8% 100%±100Highest SD: 39.8%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Highest SD: 11.9% 11.9%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 84%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD 1986Highest 6 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 5% above SD 15 minLowest 13% below SD
Work from home 8.1%±5.3Lowest SD: 9.7% 14%±10.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34.1%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 6.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.33Highest 0.13Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (21%)Aberdeen (62%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lincoln TownshipFew work in Custer
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3%Lowest 38.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.6 miLowest 8.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.2Highest 1.5Lowest
Schools
School district Custer School District 16-1—
High school in town Custer High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.7 —
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.

Custer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Custer’s Town Square.

Lincoln Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lincoln Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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