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Compare towns

Lincoln Township vs Custer

278 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (49.5× in Custer) and jobs per worker (10.2× in Custer).

L ×
Lincoln Township, SDAn outdoors townBrown County · 1,598 people
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Custer, SDHomes around $474KSouth Dakota · 2,341 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.

Lincoln TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors38.1% conserved land8.5 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 70%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lincoln Township →
CusterHomes around $474K
Housing$474K typical home47% above the SD typical home HistorySettled in 18757 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 72%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Custer →
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 grid49.5×
Custer has the more walkable street grid
Custer 74.2Lincoln Township 1.5
Jobs per worker10.2×
Custer is more of a job hub
Custer 1.33Lincoln Township 0.13
Conserved land+35.1 pts
Lincoln Township has more conserved land
Lincoln Township 38.1%Custer 3%
Work in town+33.7 pts
More of Custer’s workers stay in town
Custer 34.1%Lincoln Township 0.4%
Property tax bill+48%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer
Custer $2,430Lincoln Township $1,643
Age 65++11 pts
Custer has more people 65 and up
Custer 34.7%Lincoln Township 23.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,480 more a month in Custer

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.

Lincoln Township$1,410/mo
Typical home $243K (Census) · tax rate 0.68% · Housing →
Custer$2,890/mo
Typical home $474K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $968/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,800 a year, between Custer and Lincoln 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.

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.

Schools
–Lincoln TownshipNot graded BCusterBetter than 55% of districts in the state
Health
B+Lincoln TownshipHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns B+CusterHealthier than 72% 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
Lincoln TownshipCuster
Snow a year44″58″
January low—16°F
July high—80°F
Growing season (days)—129d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th72nd
Outdoors & history
Lincoln TownshipCuster
Trails9 mi5 mi
Conserved land38.1%3%
Settled—1875
National Register places—7
Archive photos—12
Community
Lincoln TownshipCuster
Library hours a week—33 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.

Where they are

278 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lincoln TownshipBrown CountyCusterSD
Lincoln Township ↔ Custer278 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.

Lincoln TownshipCuster
People
Population 1,598Lowest 2,341Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% -7.2%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 51.1±9.6Lowest 34% above SD 51.2±10.5Highest 35% above SD
Custer and Lincoln Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.6%±9.3Highest SD: 24.2% 13.4%±3.5Lowest SD: 24.2%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.7%±6Lowest SD: 18% 34.7%±4.4Highest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 26.1%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±2.4Lowest SD: 5% 3.4%±2.8Highest SD: 5%
Custer and Lincoln Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,040±$20kHighest 5% above SD $78,369±$11kLowest 4% above SD
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $242,900±$163kHighest 6% below SD $235,600±$40kLowest 8% below SD
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $968±$159 about the SD average
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,643Lowest 40% below SD $2,430Highest 11% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest SD: 39.8% 31.2%±10.1Lowest SD: 39.8%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.9%Lowest SD: 11.9% 14.2%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84%Highest SD: 68.6% 69.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest 6 yrs newer than SD 1971Lowest 9 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 13% below SD 19 minHighest 5% above SD
Work from home 14%±10.8Highest SD: 9.7% 8.1%±5.3Lowest SD: 9.7%
Lincoln Township and Custer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.4%Lowest 34.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.13Lowest 1.33Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen (62%)Rapid City (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CusterFew work in Lincoln Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 38.1%Highest 3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.5 miHighest 4.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 1.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.5Lowest 74.2Highest
Schools
School district —Custer School District 16-1
High school in town —Custer High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.7
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.

Lincoln Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lincoln Township’s Town Square.

Custer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Custer’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Lincoln Township

W
+ Compare
Westport Township56 people · $220K homes
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+ Compare
Ravinia Township348 people · $619K homes
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Ordway Township118 people · $190K homes
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+ Compare
Aberdeen Township548 people · $444K homes

Towns like Lincoln Township

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Gettysburg1,260 people · $125K homes
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De Smet943 people · $165K homes
C
+ Compare
Centerville903 people · $161K homes
+ Compare
Fort Pierre2,410 people · $221K 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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