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Letcher vs Goose Lake Township

52 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (96.5× in Letcher) and average commute (11 min in Goose Lake Township).

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Letcher, SDA small town of 171South Dakota · 171 people
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Goose Lake Township, SDA small town of 167Charles Mix County · 167 people
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.

LetcherA small town of 171
Quiet strengthsLetcher doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Letcher →
Goose Lake TownshipA small town of 167
Quiet strengthsGoose Lake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Goose Lake 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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Letcher$670/mo
Typical home $102K (Census) · tax rate 1.58% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →
Goose Lake Township$730/mo
Typical home $118K (Census) · tax rate 1.13% · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Goose Lake Township and Letcher.

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.

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
LetcherGoose Lake Township
Snow a year26″31″
January low5°F12°F
July high86°F87°F
Growing season (days)140d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)45th47th
Outdoors & history
LetcherGoose Lake Township
Trails—30 mi
Conserved land—7%
National Register places2—
Famous people born here1—
Community
LetcherGoose Lake 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.

Where they are

52 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Letcher ↔ Goose Lake Township52 miles apart
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.

LetcherGoose Lake Township
People
Population 171Highest 167Lowest
Median age 38.4±8.2Highest about the SD average 33.8±18.5Lowest 11% below SD
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.2%±10.4Lowest SD: 24.2% 36.5%±28.1Highest SD: 24.2%
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.4%±11.3Highest SD: 18% 13.2%±18.7Lowest SD: 18%
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.9%Highest SD: 31.9% 12.9%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.1%±8.2Highest SD: 5% 5.4%±9.3Lowest SD: 5%
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $81,042±$24kHighest 8% above SD $46,875±$39kLowest 38% below SD
Letcher and Goose Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $102,100±$18kLowest 60% below SD $117,500±$81kHighest 54% below SD
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $725±$195 23% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,614Highest 41% below SD $1,333Lowest 51% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 85.7%±78.5 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 24%Lowest SD: 11.9% 28.7%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80%Lowest SD: 68.6% 83%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 22 yrs older than SD 1965Highest 15 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 20% above SD 10 minLowest 43% below SD
Work from home 6.6%±5Lowest SD: 9.7% 19.4%±9.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Goose Lake Township and Letcher are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miLowest 18.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.21Highest 0.09Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Woonsocket (19%)Lake Andes (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Goose Lake TownshipFew work in Letcher
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.5%Lowest 7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 29.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.9Highest 0.6Lowest
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.

Letcher neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Letcher’s Town Square.

Goose Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Goose Lake Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Letcher

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks South Dakota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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