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Fort Township vs Spencer

132 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (341× in Spencer) and jobs per worker (5× in Fort Township).

F ×
Fort Township, SDAn outdoors townMarshall County · 75 people
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Spencer, SDHomes around $267KSouth Dakota · 103 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
Fort TownshipSpencer
Snow a year48″36″
January low3°F6°F
July high82°F84°F
Growing season (days)160d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)22nd52nd
Outdoors & history
Fort TownshipSpencer
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land62.4%—
National Register places1—
Community
Fort TownshipSpencer
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

132 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Fort Township ↔ Spencer132 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.

Fort TownshipSpencer
People
Population 75Lowest 103Highest
Median age 37.3±6.3Highest about the SD average 36.8±25.3Lowest 3% below SD
Fort Township and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20%±37.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 20.4%±14.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Spencer and Fort Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 0%±46.2Lowest SD: 18% 24.3%±21.8Highest SD: 18%
Spencer and Fort Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10%Lowest SD: 31.9% 18.1%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±18.9 SD: 5% 0%±13.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $39,070±$942Lowest 48% below SD $67,188±$29kHighest 11% below SD
Spencer and Fort Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied — $155,600±$24k 40% below SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $440±$133 53% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,722 37% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 SD: 39.8% 0%±100 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 2.9%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.2%Highest SD: 68.6% 84.2%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 4 yrs newer than SD 1993Highest 13 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 49 minHighest 173% above SD 28 minLowest 60% above SD
Work from home 5%±9.2Lowest SD: 9.7% 13.3%±10.7Highest SD: 9.7%
Spencer and Fort Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 41.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.00Highest 0.20Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Britton (25%)Sioux Falls (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SpencerFew work in Fort Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 62.4%Highest 0.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.4Lowest 136Highest
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.

Fort Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fort Township’s Town Square.

Spencer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Spencer’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Fort Township

Towns like Fort 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.

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