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Mercier Township vs Elrod Township

69 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (2.8× in Mercier Township) and bachelor’s degree+ (+12.1 pts in Mercier Township).

M ×
Mercier Township, SDAn outdoors townBrown County · 121 people
E ×
Elrod Township, SDAn outdoors townClark County · 84 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.

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 $1,320 more a month in Elrod 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.

Mercier Township$1,660/mo
Typical home $292K (Census) · tax rate 0.51% · Housing →
Elrod Township$2,980/mo
Typical home $542K (Census) · tax rate 0.30% · Housing →

The difference: $1,320 a month, about $15,800 a year, between Elrod Township and Mercier 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.

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
Mercier TownshipElrod Township
Snow a year43″41″
January low2°F3°F
July high85°F82°F
Growing season (days)139d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th39th
Outdoors & history
Mercier TownshipElrod Township
Trails10 mi4 mi
Conserved land43%36.5%
Community
Mercier TownshipElrod 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

69 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Mercier Township ↔ Elrod Township69 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.

Mercier TownshipElrod Township
People
Population 121Highest 84Lowest
Median age 62.1±22.3Lowest 63% above SD 70.2±3.6Highest 85% above SD
Elrod Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 7.4%±24.9Highest SD: 24.2% 3.6%±31.8Lowest SD: 24.2%
Mercier Township and Elrod Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 42.1%±29.7Lowest SD: 18% 70.2%±15.5Highest SD: 18%
Elrod Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 65.2%Highest SD: 31.9% 53.1%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±11.7 SD: 5% 0%±16.8 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $81,250±$28kHighest 8% above SD $73,542±$2kLowest about the SD average
Mercier Township and Elrod Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $292,300±$90kLowest 14% above SD $541,700±$252kHighest 110% above SD
Elrod Township and Mercier Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,490Lowest 45% below SD $1,633Highest 40% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 SD: 39.8% 0%±100 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 4.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.7%Highest SD: 68.6% 81.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1947Highest 33 yrs older than SD 1941Lowest 39 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 8% above SD 18 minLowest 3% above SD
Work from home 0%±11.2 SD: 9.7% 0%±27 SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 20.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Highest 0.22Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Aberdeen (48%)Clark (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Elrod TownshipFew work in Mercier Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 43%Highest 36.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 10.3 miHighest 3.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.8 0.8
Schools
School district —Clark School District 12-2
High school in town —None in town
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.

Mercier Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mercier Township’s Town Square.

Elrod Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elrod Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mercier Township and Elrod Township

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Bordering Mercier Township

Towns like Mercier Township

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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