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Medary Township vs Brookings

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (19.9× in Brookings) and jobs per worker (10.7× in Brookings).

M ×
Medary Township, SDOne of the healthiest townsBrookings County · 1,452 people
B ×
Brookings, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 23,948 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.

Medary TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors12.5% conserved land0.6 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Medary Township →
BrookingsA history town
History29 historic places29 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Work15,183 jobsbased in Brookings, a regional job hub All about Brookings →
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 grid19.9×
Brookings has the more walkable street grid
Brookings 55.6Medary Township 2.8
Jobs per worker10.7×
Brookings is more of a job hub
Brookings 1.50Medary Township 0.14
Trails10.3×
Brookings has more miles of trail
Brookings 6.2 miMedary Township 0.6 mi
Size16.5×
Brookings is the bigger place
Brookings 23,948Medary Township 1,452
Work in town+62 pts
More of Brookings’s workers stay in town
Brookings 62.9%Medary Township 0.9%
Household income+69%
Households in Medary Township earn more
Medary Township $107,583Brookings $63,493
★ What stands out · Where they are

Medary Township and Brookings share a border

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

Medary TownshipBrookingsMedary TownshipBrookings
Medary Township ↔ Brookings5.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
425 Medary Township residents work in Brookings (55.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Medary Township →
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.

Medary Township$1,910/mo
Typical home $312K (Census) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $859/mo · Housing →
Brookings$2,020/mo
Typical home $325K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $889/mo · Housing →

The difference: $110 a month, about $1,300 a year, between Brookings and Medary 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.

Safety
–Medary TownshipNot graded BBrookingsSafer than 62% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Medary TownshipNot graded B−BrookingsBetter than 53% of districts in the state
Health
A−Medary TownshipHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns A−BrookingsHealthier than 84% 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
Medary TownshipBrookings
Snow a year36″36″
January low4°F4°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd35th
Outdoors & history
Medary TownshipBrookings
Trails1 mi6 mi
Conserved land12.5%5.7%
National Register places229
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—22
Community
Medary TownshipBrookings
Library hours a week—66 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

Medary TownshipBrookings
People
Population 1,452Lowest 23,948Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.4%Lowest SD: +8.9% +6%Highest SD: +8.9%
Median age 33.6±15.3Highest 12% below SD 24.7±0.5Lowest 35% below SD
Medary Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.5%±7.8Highest SD: 24.2% 18.6%±1.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Medary Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.1%±5.5Highest SD: 18% 12.1%±1.4Lowest SD: 18%
Medary Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 47.5%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.8%±8Lowest SD: 5% 28.8%±1.9Highest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $107,583±$32kHighest 43% above SD $63,493±$6kLowest 15% below SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $312,400±$46kHighest 21% above SD $265,500±$16kLowest 3% above SD
Medary Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $859±$14Lowest 9% below SD $889±$68Highest 6% below SD
Brookings and Medary Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,286Highest 21% above SD $3,097Lowest 14% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±26Lowest SD: 39.8% 40.7%±6.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 6.7%Lowest SD: 11.9% 16.9%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.5%Highest SD: 68.6% 47.7%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 13 yrs newer than SD 1986Lowest 6 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 7% below SD 13 minLowest 30% below SD
Work from home 15.5%±11.1Highest SD: 9.7% 10.4%±2.3Lowest SD: 9.7%
Medary Township and Brookings are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.9%Lowest 62.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.14Lowest 1.50Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (56%)Sioux Falls (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 56% work in BrookingsFew work in Medary Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 12.5%Highest 5.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 6.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 22Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.8Lowest 55.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#21 of 34 in SD
School district —Brookings School District 05-1
High school in town —Brookings High School - 01
Students per teacherat that high school — 16.7
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.

Medary Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Medary Township’s Town Square.

Brookings neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brookings’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Medary Township

T
+ Compare
Trenton Township249 people
F
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Fremont Township77 people · $594K homes
O
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Oslo Township246 people

Towns like Medary Township

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Colman948 people · $236K homes
S
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Summerset3,022 people · $368K homes
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Hill City834 people · $286K homes
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Humboldt732 people · $228K 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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