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Mitchell vs Badger Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (47.7× in Mitchell) and size (97.2× in Mitchell).

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Mitchell, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 15,649 people
B ×
Badger Township, SDA small town of 161Davison County · 161 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.

MitchellKnown for its schools
Schools#5 for schools in SDof 34 towns History20 historic places20 places on the National Register Housing$255K typical home21% below the SD typical home All about Mitchell →
Badger TownshipA small town of 161
Quiet strengthsBadger Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Badger Township →
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 grid47.7×
Mitchell has the more walkable street grid
Mitchell 62.0Badger Township 1.3
Size97.2×
Mitchell is the bigger place
Mitchell 15,649Badger Township 161
Trails9×
Mitchell has more miles of trail
Mitchell 2.7 miBadger Township 0.3 mi
Work in town+58.9 pts
More of Mitchell’s workers stay in town
Mitchell 60.5%Badger Township 1.6%
Homeowners+43.4 pts renters
Mitchell has more renters
Badger Township 100%Mitchell 56.6%
Typical home built25 yrs
Badger Township’s homes are older
Mitchell 1972Badger Township 1947
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $550 more a month in Mitchell

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.

Mitchell$1,610/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $851/mo · Housing →
Badger Township$1,060/mo
Typical home $172K (Census) · tax rate 1.13% · Housing →

The difference: $550 a month, about $6,600 a year, between Mitchell and Badger 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.

Where they are

Mitchell and Badger Township share a border

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

MitchellBadger TownshipMitchellBadger Township
Mitchell ↔ Badger Township7.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
34 Badger Township residents work in Mitchell (53.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Badger 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
CMitchellSafer than 28% of U.S. towns –Badger TownshipNot graded
Schools
A−MitchellBetter than 83% of districts in the state –Badger TownshipNot graded
Health
BMitchellHealthier than 57% of U.S. towns –Badger TownshipNot graded
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
MitchellBadger Township
Snow a year41″41″
January low9°F9°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)167d167d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th49th
Outdoors & history
MitchellBadger Township
Trails3 mi—
Conserved land2.2%—
National Register places20—
Famous people born here—1
Community
MitchellBadger Township
Library hours a week60 hrs—
Colleges in town2—
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.

MitchellBadger Township
People
Population 15,649Highest 161Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.7% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 39.6±1.2Lowest 4% above SD 44.3±4Highest 17% above SD
Badger Township and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.2%±2.2Highest SD: 24.2% 21.1%±25Lowest SD: 24.2%
Mitchell and Badger Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.1%±2.4Highest SD: 18% 18.6%±20.5Lowest SD: 18%
Mitchell and Badger Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 26.6%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±0.9Highest SD: 5% 0%±8.8Lowest SD: 5%
Mitchell and Badger Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,620±$7k 22% below SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $192,200±$16kHighest 25% below SD $171,500±$26kLowest 33% below SD
Mitchell and Badger Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $851±$73 10% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,482Highest 9% below SD $1,931Lowest 29% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.1%±10 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 12.5%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.6%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 8 yrs older than SD 1947Lowest 33 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 28% below SD 21 minHighest 18% above SD
Work from home 8.1%±2.6Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±9.1Lowest SD: 9.7%
Mitchell and Badger Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 60.5%Highest 1.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.27Highest 0.94Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (11%)Mitchell (53%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Badger Township53% work in Mitchell
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.0Highest 1.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #5 of 34 in SD—
School district Mitchell School District 17-2—
High school in town Mitchell High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 17.1 —
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.

Mitchell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mitchell’s Town Square.

Badger Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Badger Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Mitchell

P
+ Compare
Perry Township154 people · $290K homes

Towns like Mitchell

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Watertown23,044 people · $229K homes
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Huron14,385 people · $159K homes
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Yankton15,540 people · $223K homes
A
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Aberdeen28,189 people · $217K 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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