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Laketon Township vs Preston Township

Next-door neighbors in Brookings County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (15× in Preston Township) and seasonal homes (+53.5 pts in Laketon Township).

L ×
Laketon Township, SDAn outdoors townBrookings County · 149 people
P ×
Preston Township, SDA small town of 60Brookings County · 60 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.

Laketon TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors41.2% conserved land2.1 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Laketon Township →
Preston TownshipA small town of 60
Quiet strengthsPreston Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Preston 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.

Jobs per worker15×
Preston Township is more of a job hub
Preston Township 0.15Laketon Township 0.01
Seasonal homes+53.5 pts
Laketon Township has more second homes
Laketon Township 53.5%Preston Township 0%
Bachelor’s degree++38.5 pts
More adults in Preston Township have a degree
Preston Township 67.4%Laketon Township 28.9%
Conserved land+32.5 pts
Laketon Township has more conserved land
Laketon Township 41.2%Preston Township 8.7%
Typical home built35 yrs
Preston Township’s homes are older
Laketon Township 1973Preston Township 1938
Average commute8 min
Preston Township has the shorter commute
Laketon Township 26 minPreston Township 18 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Preston 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.

Laketon Township$1,980/mo
Typical home $342K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · Housing →
Preston Township$2,820/mo
Typical home $418K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,000 a year, between Preston Township and Laketon 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

Laketon Township and Preston Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Laketon TownshipPreston TownshipLaketon TownshipPreston Township
Laketon Township ↔ Preston Township7.9 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
Laketon TownshipPreston Township
Snow a year34″36″
January low—4°F
July high—81°F
Growing season (days)—145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th57th
Outdoors & history
Laketon TownshipPreston Township
Trails2 mi2 mi
Conserved land41.2%8.7%
Community
Laketon TownshipPreston 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.

Laketon TownshipPreston Township
People
Population 149Highest 60Lowest
Median age 60.8±4.6Highest 60% above SD 50.4±10.6Lowest 33% above SD
Laketon Township and Preston Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 9.4%±22.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 10%±41.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Preston Township and Laketon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.5%±18.4Highest SD: 18% 15%±53.6Lowest SD: 18%
Laketon Township and Preston Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.9%Lowest SD: 31.9% 67.4%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±9.5Lowest SD: 5% 6.7%±20.8Highest SD: 5%
Preston Township and Laketon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $160,721±$90k 114% above SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $342,000±$38kLowest 33% above SD $418,400±$295kHighest 63% above SD
Preston Township and Laketon Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,300 16% below SD —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 0%±100 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 11.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest SD: 68.6% 91.2%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 7 yrs older than SD 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 45% above SD 18 minLowest about the SD average
Work from home 0%±13Lowest SD: 9.7% 9.7%±9.5Highest SD: 9.7%
Preston Township and Laketon 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 21.8 miHighest 16.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.01Lowest 0.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (48%)Brookings (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Preston TownshipFew work in Laketon Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 41.2%Highest 8.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.1 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.8Lowest 1.0Highest
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.

Laketon Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laketon Township’s Town Square.

Preston Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Preston Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Laketon Township

W
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Winsor Township190 people · $395K homes
B
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Badger Township227 people · $374K homes
L
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Lake Poinsett348 people · $493K homes
E
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Estelline Township306 people · $243K homes

Towns like Laketon Township

B
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Baker Township172 people · $238K homes
O
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Oak Lake Township109 people · $278K homes
G
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Germantown Township145 people · $431K homes
A
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Afton Township129 people · $321K 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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