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German Township vs Cross Plains Township

12 miles apart in Hutchinson County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.3× in German Township) and trails (3.8× in German Township).

G ×
German Township, SDA small town of 33Hutchinson County · 33 people
C ×
Cross Plains Township, SDA small town of 80Hutchinson County · 80 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.

German TownshipA small town of 33
Quiet strengthsGerman Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about German Township →
Cross Plains TownshipA small town of 80
Quiet strengthsCross Plains Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Cross Plains 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.

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
German TownshipCross Plains Township
Snow a year39″36″
January low10°F6°F
July high86°F84°F
Growing season (days)156d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th54th
Outdoors & history
German TownshipCross Plains Township
Trails4 mi1 mi
Conserved land2%2.4%
Community
German TownshipCross Plains 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

12 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

German TownshipCross Plains TownshipGerman TownshipCross Plains Township
German Township ↔ Cross Plains Township12 miles apart · Same county
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.

German TownshipCross Plains Township
People
Population 33Lowest 80Highest
Median age 20.9±30.8Lowest 45% below SD 25.7±2Highest 32% below SD
Cross Plains Township and German Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 30.3%±87.5Highest SD: 24.2% 21.3%±31.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
German Township and Cross Plains Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.3%±96.3Highest SD: 18% 2.5%±41.1Lowest SD: 18%
German Township and Cross Plains Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 75%Lowest SD: 31.9% 96.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±42.9 SD: 5% 0%±17.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian — $151,513±$16k 102% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8% 5%±91.4Highest SD: 39.8%
Cross Plains Township and German Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 1.3%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 53.3%Highest SD: 68.6% 25.9%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Highest 13 yrs older than SD 1957Lowest 23 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Work from home 0%±71.4 SD: 9.7% 0%±16.4 SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 30.8 miHighest 27.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.66Highest 0.09Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Parkston (17%)Parkston (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Cross Plains TownshipFew work in German Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Lowest 2.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.2 miHighest 1.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 1.5Highest
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.

German Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to German Township’s Town Square.

Cross Plains Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cross Plains Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside German Township and Cross Plains Township

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Bordering German Township

Towns like German 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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