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Elmira Township vs Lake Township

Next-door neighbors in Codington County. The biggest differences: bachelor’s degree+ (+30.2 pts in Elmira Township) and average commute (10 min in Elmira Township).

E ×
Elmira Township, SDA small town of 345Codington County · 345 people
L ×
Lake Township, SDA small town of 851Codington County · 851 people
Swap order
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.

Elmira TownshipA small town of 345
Quiet strengthsElmira Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Elmira Township →
Lake TownshipA small town of 851
Quiet strengthsLake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lake 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.

Bachelor’s degree++30.2 pts
More adults in Elmira Township have a degree
Elmira Township 49.4%Lake Township 19.2%
Average commute10 min
Elmira Township has the shorter commute
Lake Township 20 minElmira Township 10 min
Street grid2×
Lake Township has the more walkable street grid
Lake Township 2.8Elmira Township 1.4
Jobs per worker+94%
Elmira Township is more of a job hub
Elmira Township 0.66Lake Township 0.34
Trails+83%
Elmira Township has more miles of trail
Elmira Township 1.1 miLake Township 0.6 mi
Size2.5×
Lake Township is the bigger place
Lake Township 851Elmira Township 345
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $560 more a month in Elmira 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.

Elmira Township$2,640/mo
Typical home $450K (Census) · tax rate 0.75% · Housing →
Lake Township$2,080/mo
Typical home $350K (Census) · tax rate 0.86% · Housing →

The difference: $560 a month, about $6,700 a year, between Elmira Township and Lake 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.

Where they are

Elmira Township and Lake Township share a border

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

Elmira TownshipLake TownshipElmira TownshipLake Township
Elmira Township ↔ Lake Township5.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
4 Elmira Township residents work in Lake Township (2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Elmira Township →
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
Elmira TownshipLake Township
Snow a year41″32″
January low3°F2°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)145d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th59th
Outdoors & history
Elmira TownshipLake Township
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0%7.7%
National Register places3—
Archive photos—3
Community
Elmira TownshipLake 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.

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.

Elmira TownshipLake Township
People
Population 345Lowest 851Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -0.8% SD: +8.9%
Median age 44.1±8.1Highest 16% above SD 34.9±25.5Lowest 8% below SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.1%±10.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 32.4%±10.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Lake Township and Elmira Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.4%±12.1Lowest SD: 18% 17.5%±1.2Highest SD: 18%
Lake Township and Elmira Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 49.4%Highest SD: 31.9% 19.2%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±4.4Highest SD: 5% 1.2%±1.8Lowest SD: 5%
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $109,167±$36kHighest 45% above SD $106,830±$23kLowest 42% above SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $450,000±$121kHighest 75% above SD $349,600±$28kLowest 36% above SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,362Highest 23% above SD $3,010Lowest 10% above SD
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 8.6%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than SD 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 10 minLowest 45% below SD 20 minHighest 13% above SD
Work from home 11.8%±8.6 SD: 9.7% 11.8%±8.3 SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 0.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.8 miLowest 6.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.66Highest 0.34Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Watertown (55%)Watertown (61%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Lake TownshipFew work in Elmira Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 7.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.1 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.4Lowest 2.8Highest
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.

Elmira Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elmira Township’s Town Square.

Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lake Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Elmira Township and Lake Township

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Bordering Elmira Township

+ Compare
Watertown23,044 people · $229K homes
+ Compare
Kranzburg Township360 people · $291K homes
S
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Sheridan Township445 people · $265K homes
R
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Rauville Township196 people · $352K homes

Towns like Elmira Township

H
+ Compare
Home Township292 people · $446K homes
S
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Sun Prairie Township216 people · $476K homes
C
+ Compare
Centerville Township282 people · $444K homes
E
+ Compare
Edison Township288 people · $507K homes

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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