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Compare towns

Lawrence Township vs Wagner

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (44.7× in Wagner) and jobs per worker (13.7× in Wagner).

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Lawrence Township, SDA small town of 501Charles Mix County · 501 people
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Wagner, SDOne of the safest townsSouth Dakota · 1,529 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.

Lawrence TownshipA small town of 501
Quiet strengthsLawrence Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lawrence Township →
WagnerOne of the safest towns
SafetySafer than 5%of U.S. towns we grade Work1,047 jobsbased in Wagner, a regional job hub Health90% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Wagner →
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.

Street grid44.7×
Wagner has the more walkable street grid
Wagner 58.1Lawrence Township 1.3
Jobs per worker13.7×
Wagner is more of a job hub
Wagner 2.06Lawrence Township 0.15
Work in town+42.7 pts
More of Wagner’s workers stay in town
Wagner 42.7%Lawrence Township 0%
Median age16.5 yrs
Wagner skews older
Wagner 34.3Lawrence Township 17.8
Age 65++16.8 pts
Wagner has more people 65 and up
Wagner 19.6%Lawrence Township 2.8%
Growth since 2010+10.4 pts
Wagner has grown faster since 2010
Wagner -4.9%Lawrence Township -15.3%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $620 more a month in Lawrence 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.

Lawrence Township$1,470/mo
Typical home $259K (Census) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →
Wagner$850/mo
Typical home $136K (Census) · tax rate 1.18% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Lawrence Township and Wagner.

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

Lawrence Township and Wagner share a border

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

Lawrence TownshipWagnerLawrence TownshipWagner
Lawrence Township ↔ Wagner3.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
68 Lawrence Township residents work in Wagner (45.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lawrence Township →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every South Dakota ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–Lawrence TownshipNot graded DWagnerSafer than 5% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Lawrence TownshipNot graded CWagnerBetter than 26% of districts in the state
Health
–Lawrence TownshipNot graded DWagnerHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns
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
Lawrence TownshipWagner
Snow a year31″31″
January low12°F12°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)165d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd43rd
Outdoors & history
Lawrence TownshipWagner
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land2.4%—
Settled—1900
Archive photos—3
Famous people born here—3
Community
Lawrence TownshipWagner
Library hours a week—38 hrs
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.

Lawrence TownshipWagner
People
Population 501Lowest 1,529Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -15.3%Lowest SD: +8.9% -4.9%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 17.8±4.8Lowest 53% below SD 34.3±5.1Highest 10% below SD
Kids under 18 50.3%±24.6Highest SD: 24.2% 29.8%±5Lowest SD: 24.2%
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 2.8%±6.4Lowest SD: 18% 19.6%±4Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 22.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.2%±2.5Lowest SD: 5% 2.2%±1.4Highest SD: 5%
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,833±$36kHighest 12% below SD $47,462±$6kLowest 37% below SD
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $259,400±$185kHighest about the SD average $136,000±$16kLowest 47% below SD
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $675±$420Lowest 29% below SD $684±$127Highest 28% below SD
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,330Lowest 51% below SD $1,607Highest 41% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 37%±62.5Highest SD: 39.8% 34.9%±11.9Lowest SD: 39.8%
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 58.8%Highest SD: 11.9% 15.7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70%Highest SD: 68.6% 55.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest same as SD 1959Lowest 21 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 14 minHighest 21% below SD 12 minLowest 33% below SD
Work from home 0%±7.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 0.9%±1Highest SD: 9.7%
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 42.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 miHighest 5.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.15Lowest 2.06Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Wagner (45%)Dante (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 45% work in WagnerFew work in Lawrence Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.4%Highest 0%Lowest
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 1.3Lowest 58.1Highest
Schools
School district —Wagner Community School District 11-4
High school in town —Wagner High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 11.7
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.

Lawrence Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lawrence Township’s Town Square.

Wagner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wagner’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lawrence Township and Wagner

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Bordering Lawrence Township

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+ Compare
Lone Tree Township333 people · $95K homes
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+ Compare
Ree Township51 people
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+ Compare
Bryan Township341 people · $293K homes
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Highland Township484 people · $350K homes

Towns like Lawrence Township

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+ Compare
Plankinton Township295 people · $245K homes
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+ Compare
Willow Lake433 people · $149K homes
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+ Compare
Milltown Township202 people · $166K homes
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+ Compare
Burk Township416 people · $531K 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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