Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Lake Township vs Elmira Township

Next-door neighbors in Codington County. The biggest differences: bachelor’s degree+ (+30.2 pts in Elmira Township) and average commute (10 min in Elmira Township).

L ×
Lake Township, SDA small town of 851Codington County · 851 people
E ×
Elmira Township, SDA small town of 345Codington County · 345 people
Swap order
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.

Lake TownshipA small town of 851
Quiet strengthsLake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lake Township →
Elmira TownshipA small town of 345
Quiet strengthsElmira Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Elmira Township →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Bachelor’s degree++30.2 pts
More adults in Elmira Township have a degree
Elmira Township 49.4%Lake Township 19.2%
Average commute10 min
Elmira Township has the shorter commute
Lake Township 20 minElmira Township 10 min
Street grid2×
Lake Township has the more walkable street grid
Lake Township 2.8Elmira Township 1.4
Jobs per worker+94%
Elmira Township is more of a job hub
Elmira Township 0.66Lake Township 0.34
Trails+83%
Elmira Township has more miles of trail
Elmira Township 1.1 miLake Township 0.6 mi
Size2.5×
Lake Township is the bigger place
Lake Township 851Elmira Township 345
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $560 more a month in Elmira 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.

Lake Township$2,080/mo
Typical home $350K (Census) · tax rate 0.86% · Housing →
Elmira Township$2,640/mo
Typical home $450K (Census) · tax rate 0.75% · Housing →

The difference: $560 a month, about $6,700 a year, between Elmira Township and Lake 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

Lake Township and Elmira Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Lake TownshipElmira TownshipLake TownshipElmira Township
Lake Township ↔ Elmira Township5.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
4 Elmira Township residents work in Lake Township (2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Elmira Township →
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
Lake TownshipElmira Township
Snow a year32″41″
January low2°F3°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)143d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th59th
Outdoors & history
Lake TownshipElmira Township
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land7.7%0%
National Register places—3
Archive photos3—
Community
Lake TownshipElmira 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.

Lake TownshipElmira Township
People
Population 851Highest 345Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.8% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 34.9±25.5Lowest 8% below SD 44.1±8.1Highest 16% above SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.4%±10.7Highest SD: 24.2% 28.1%±10.2Lowest SD: 24.2%
Lake Township and Elmira Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.5%±1.2Highest SD: 18% 10.4%±12.1Lowest SD: 18%
Lake Township and Elmira Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.2%Lowest SD: 31.9% 49.4%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.2%±1.8Lowest SD: 5% 2.6%±4.4Highest SD: 5%
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $106,830±$23kLowest 42% above SD $109,167±$36kHighest 45% above SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $349,600±$28kLowest 36% above SD $450,000±$121kHighest 75% above SD
Elmira Township and Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,010Lowest 10% above SD $3,362Highest 23% above SD
Below poverty line 8.6%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than SD 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% above SD 10 minLowest 45% below SD
Work from home 11.8%±8.3 SD: 9.7% 11.8%±8.6 SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0.7%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.34Lowest 0.66Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Watertown (61%)Watertown (55%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Elmira Township2% work in Lake Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.7%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 1.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.8Highest 1.4Lowest
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.

Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lake Township’s Town Square.

Elmira Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elmira Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lake Township and Elmira Township

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

Bordering Lake Township

+ Compare
Watertown23,044 people · $229K homes
F
+ Compare
Fuller Township245 people · $278K homes
R
+ Compare
Rauville Township196 people · $352K homes
P
+ Compare
Pelican Township1,064 people · $347K homes

Towns like Lake Township

W
+ Compare
Wall Lake Township1,130 people · $389K homes
W
+ Compare
Worthing1,036 people · $220K homes
P
+ Compare
Prosper Township498 people · $298K homes
T
+ Compare
Taopi Township340 people · $351K 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.

Post to Lake 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