Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Garden Prairie Township vs Bates Township

Next-door neighbors in Brown County. The biggest differences: median age (48.6 yrs in Bates Township) and homeowners (+16.7 pts renters in Garden Prairie Township).

G ×
Garden Prairie Township, SDKnown for its schoolsBrown County · 91 people
B ×
Bates Township, SDA small town of 49Brown County · 49 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.

Bates TownshipA small town of 49
Quiet strengthsBates Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bates Township →
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 · Where they are

Garden Prairie Township and Bates Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Garden Prairie TownshipBates TownshipGarden Prairie TownshipBates Township
Garden Prairie Township ↔ Bates Township6.4 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Garden Prairie TownshipBates Township
Snow a year32″32″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th38th
Outdoors & history
Garden Prairie TownshipBates Township
Conserved land0.4%2.7%
Archive photos—1
Community
Garden Prairie TownshipBates 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.

Garden Prairie TownshipBates Township
People
Population 91Highest 49Lowest
Median age 16.5±0.3Lowest 57% below SD 65.1±18.6Highest 71% above SD
Kids under 18 60.4%±79.1Highest SD: 24.2% 0%±57.7Lowest SD: 24.2%
Garden Prairie Township and Bates Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 0%±38.1Lowest SD: 18% 55.1%±77.5Highest SD: 18%
Bates Township and Garden Prairie Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0% SD: 31.9% 0% SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±15.5 SD: 5% 0%±28.9 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Below poverty line 14.3%Lowest SD: 11.9% 55.1%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year — 1980 same as SD
Getting to work
Work from home 45.5%±20.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 61.3%±62.5Highest SD: 9.7%
Bates Township and Garden Prairie 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 18.8 miLowest 23.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.36Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen (29%)Groton (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bates Township6% work in Garden Prairie Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.4%Lowest 2.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 18.4 miHighest 17.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 mi 0.5 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.8 0.8
Schools
School district Northwestern Area School District 56-7—
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.

Garden Prairie Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Garden Prairie Township’s Town Square.

Bates Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bates Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Garden Prairie Township and Bates Township

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

Bordering Garden Prairie Township

Towns like Garden Prairie Township

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks South Dakota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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 Garden Prairie 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