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Compare towns

Goose Lake Township vs Letcher

52 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (96.5× in Letcher) and average commute (11 min in Goose Lake Township).

G ×
Goose Lake Township, SDA small town of 167Charles Mix County · 167 people
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Letcher, SDA small town of 171South Dakota · 171 people
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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.

Goose Lake TownshipA small town of 167
Quiet strengthsGoose Lake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Goose Lake Township →
LetcherA small town of 171
Quiet strengthsLetcher doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Letcher →
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.

Street grid96.5×
Letcher has the more walkable street grid
Letcher 57.9Goose Lake Township 0.6
Average commute11 min
Goose Lake Township has the shorter commute
Letcher 21 minGoose Lake Township 10 min
Jobs per worker2.3×
Letcher is more of a job hub
Letcher 0.21Goose Lake Township 0.09
Property tax bill+21%
Tax bills are bigger in Letcher
Letcher $1,614Goose Lake Township $1,333
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Goose Lake Township$730/mo
Typical home $118K (Census) · tax rate 1.13% · Housing →
Letcher$670/mo
Typical home $102K (Census) · tax rate 1.58% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Goose Lake Township and Letcher.

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.

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
Goose Lake TownshipLetcher
Snow a year31″26″
January low12°F5°F
July high87°F86°F
Growing season (days)165d140d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th45th
Outdoors & history
Goose Lake TownshipLetcher
Trails30 mi—
Conserved land7%—
National Register places—2
Famous people born here—1
Community
Goose Lake TownshipLetcher
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

52 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Goose Lake TownshipCharles Mix CountyLetcherSD
Goose Lake Township ↔ Letcher52 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.

Goose Lake TownshipLetcher
People
Population 167Lowest 171Highest
Median age 33.8±18.5Lowest 11% below SD 38.4±8.2Highest about the SD average
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 36.5%±28.1Highest SD: 24.2% 29.2%±10.4Lowest SD: 24.2%
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.2%±18.7Lowest SD: 18% 16.4%±11.3Highest SD: 18%
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.9%Lowest SD: 31.9% 17.9%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±9.3Lowest SD: 5% 11.1%±8.2Highest SD: 5%
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $46,875±$39kLowest 38% below SD $81,042±$24kHighest 8% above SD
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $117,500±$81kHighest 54% below SD $102,100±$18kLowest 60% below SD
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $725±$195 23% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,333Lowest 51% below SD $1,614Highest 41% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 85.7%±78.5 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 28.7%Highest SD: 11.9% 24%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83%Highest SD: 68.6% 80%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Highest 15 yrs older than SD 1958Lowest 22 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 10 minLowest 43% below SD 21 minHighest 20% above SD
Work from home 19.4%±9.8Highest SD: 9.7% 6.6%±5Lowest SD: 9.7%
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.09Lowest 0.21Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Lake Andes (18%)Woonsocket (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LetcherFew work in Goose Lake Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 29.8 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.6Lowest 57.9Highest
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.

Goose Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Goose Lake Township’s Town Square.

Letcher neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Letcher’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Goose Lake Township and Letcher

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Bordering Goose Lake Township

J
+ Compare
Jackson Township74 people · $233K homes
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White Swan Township589 people · $250K homes
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Moore Township91 people · $111K homes
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Howard Township208 people · $250K homes

Towns like Goose Lake Township

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Artesian148 people · $88K homes
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Spencer103 people · $156K homes
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Hoven329 people · $88K homes
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Wessington192 people · $102K homes
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.

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