Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Dearborn Township vs Merton Township

48 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (6.3× in Merton Township) and property tax bill (2.3× in Dearborn Township).

D ×
Dearborn Township, SDAn outdoors townBeadle County · 47 people
M ×
Merton Township, SDAn outdoors townClark County · 53 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.

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
Dearborn TownshipMerton Township
Snow a year44″—
January low6°F—
July high86°F—
Growing season (days)146d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st39th
Outdoors & history
Dearborn TownshipMerton Township
Trails3 mi7 mi
Conserved land43.9%57%
National Register places—2
Community
Dearborn TownshipMerton 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

48 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Dearborn Township ↔ Merton Township48 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.

Dearborn TownshipMerton Township
People
Population 47Lowest 53Highest
Median age 57.7±8.4Highest 52% above SD 57.5±18.1Lowest 51% above SD
Dearborn Township and Merton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.9%±53.3Lowest SD: 24.2% 30.2%±51.4Highest SD: 24.2%
Merton Township and Dearborn Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17%±64.6Lowest SD: 18% 28.3%±57.2Highest SD: 18%
Merton Township and Dearborn Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 40%Highest SD: 31.9% 35.1%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±30.1 SD: 5% 0%±26.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,250±$71kHighest 18% above SD $83,500±$65kLowest 11% above SD
Dearborn Township and Merton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $318,800±$73k 24% above SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,700Highest 36% above SD $1,636Lowest 40% below SD
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 8.1%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 13 yrs older than SD 1976Highest 4 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Work from home 0%±34.5Lowest SD: 9.7% 11.1%±12.6Highest SD: 9.7%
Merton Township and Dearborn 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 46.3 miHighest 25.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.08Lowest 0.50Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Huron (14%)Watertown (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Merton TownshipFew work in Dearborn Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 43.9%Lowest 57%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.2 miLowest 6.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Highest 0.7Lowest
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.

Dearborn Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dearborn Township’s Town Square.

Merton Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Merton Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dearborn Township and Merton Township

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

Bordering Dearborn Township

Towns like Dearborn 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 Dearborn 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