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Howard Township vs Vilas

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (9.3× in Howard Township) and street grid (3.4× in Vilas).

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Howard Township, SDA small town of 195Miner County · 195 people
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Vilas, SDA small town of 21South Dakota · 21 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.

Howard TownshipA small town of 195
Quiet strengthsHoward Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Howard Township →
VilasA small town of 21
Quiet strengthsVilas doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Vilas →
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.

Size9.3×
Howard Township is the bigger place
Howard Township 195Vilas 21
Street grid3.4×
Vilas has the more walkable street grid
Vilas 3.7Howard Township 1.1
Conserved land+32.2 pts
Vilas has more conserved land
Vilas 40.9%Howard Township 8.7%
Bachelor’s degree++20.8 pts
More adults in Howard Township have a degree
Howard Township 20.8%Vilas 0%
Homeowners+12.5 pts renters
Howard Township has more renters
Vilas 100%Howard Township 87.5%
★ What stands out · Where they are

Howard Township and Vilas share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Howard TownshipVilasHoward TownshipVilas
Howard Township ↔ Vilas3.3 miles apart · They share a border
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
Howard TownshipVilas
Snow a year36″36″
January low5°F5°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)149d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th29th
Outdoors & history
Howard TownshipVilas
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land8.7%—
Archive photos4—
Famous people born here4—
Community
Howard TownshipVilas
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.

Howard TownshipVilas
People
Population 195Highest 21Lowest
Median age 62.4±1.7Highest 64% above SD 9.8±63Lowest 74% below SD
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.8%±16.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 61.9%±93.8Highest SD: 24.2%
Vilas and Howard Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.8%±17.5Highest SD: 18% 0%±100Lowest SD: 18%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 0%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.7%±7.5Highest SD: 5% 0%±67.3Lowest SD: 5%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,200 56% below SD —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 87.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953 27 yrs older than SD —
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 10 min 43% below SD —
Work from home 7.1%±7.8Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±100Lowest SD: 9.7%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miLowest 23.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.60Highest 0.00Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Howard (35%)Howard (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VilasFew work in Howard Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8.7%Lowest 40.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 3.7Highest
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.

Howard Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Howard Township’s Town Square.

Vilas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vilas’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Howard Township and Vilas

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Bordering Howard Township

R
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Roswell Township32 people
A
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Adams Township23 people · $548K homes
C
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Canova Township122 people · $320K homes
C
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Clearwater Township117 people · $333K homes

Towns like Howard Township

H
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Highland Township148 people · $446K homes
W
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Woonsocket Township184 people · $189K homes
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Geddes158 people · $88K homes
+ Compare
Delmont183 people · $87K 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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