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Highland Township vs Mercier Township

Next-door neighbors in Brown County. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.3× in Highland Township) and bachelor’s degree+ (+41.4 pts in Mercier Township).

H ×
Highland Township, SDAn outdoors townBrown County · 130 people
M ×
Mercier Township, SDAn outdoors townBrown County · 121 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.

Highland TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors50.8% conserved land16 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves All about Highland Township →
Mercier TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors43% conserved land10 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves All about Mercier 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.

Property tax bill2.3×
Tax bills are bigger in Highland Township
Highland Township $3,412Mercier Township $1,490
Bachelor’s degree++41.4 pts
More adults in Mercier Township have a degree
Mercier Township 65.2%Highland Township 23.8%
Jobs per worker+93%
Highland Township is more of a job hub
Highland Township 0.58Mercier Township 0.30
Trails+53%
Highland Township has more miles of trail
Highland Township 15.8 miMercier Township 10.3 mi
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $580 more a month in Highland 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.

Highland Township$2,240/mo
Typical home $373K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · Housing →
Mercier Township$1,660/mo
Typical home $292K (Census) · tax rate 0.51% · Housing →

The difference: $580 a month, about $7,000 a year, between Highland Township and Mercier 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

Highland Township and Mercier Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Highland TownshipMercier TownshipHighland TownshipMercier Township
Highland Township ↔ Mercier Township6.4 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Highland TownshipMercier Township
Snow a year43″43″
January low2°F2°F
July high85°F85°F
Growing season (days)139d139d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th37th
Outdoors & history
Highland TownshipMercier Township
Trails16 mi10 mi
Conserved land50.8%43%
Community
Highland TownshipMercier 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.

Highland TownshipMercier Township
People
Population 130Highest 121Lowest
Median age 15.3±47.6Lowest 60% below SD 62.1±22.3Highest 63% above SD
Mercier Township and Highland Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 51.5%±61.4Highest SD: 24.2% 7.4%±24.9Lowest SD: 24.2%
Highland Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.1%±19.8Lowest SD: 18% 42.1%±29.7Highest SD: 18%
Mercier Township and Highland Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 65.2%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±10.9 SD: 5% 0%±11.7 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $143,500±$59kHighest 91% above SD $81,250±$28kLowest 8% above SD
Highland Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $373,300±$90kHighest 45% above SD $292,300±$90kLowest 14% above SD
Highland Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,412Highest 25% above SD $1,490Lowest 45% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest SD: 39.8% 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8%
Highland Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.8%Lowest SD: 68.6% 85.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD 1947Highest 33 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 19 min 8% above SD
Work from home 8.7%±12.5Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±11.2Lowest SD: 9.7%
Highland Township and Mercier 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 12.8 miHighest 11.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Highest 0.30Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen (46%)Aberdeen (48%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Mercier TownshipFew work in Highland Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 50.8%Highest 43%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 15.8 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.7Lowest 0.8Highest
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.

Highland Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Highland Township’s Town Square.

Mercier Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mercier Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Highland Township

R
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Richland Township19 people
N
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New Hope Township80 people
W
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Warner Township282 people · $169K homes

Towns like Highland Township

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Fountain Township146 people
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Blooming Valley Township145 people · $350K homes
+ Compare
Dante120 people · $171K homes
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Milltown Township202 people · $166K 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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