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Oacoma vs Chamberlain Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (8.5× in Oacoma) and trails (4.1× in Chamberlain Township).

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Oacoma, SDA small town of 548South Dakota · 548 people
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Chamberlain Township, SDKnown for its schoolsBrule County · 307 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.

OacomaA small town of 548
Quiet strengthsOacoma doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oacoma →
Chamberlain TownshipKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 30%of SD districts HistorySettled in 18811 place on the National Register All about Chamberlain 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 grid8.5×
Oacoma has the more walkable street grid
Oacoma 11.9Chamberlain Township 1.4
Trails4.1×
Chamberlain Township has more miles of trail
Chamberlain Township 3.3 miOacoma 0.8 mi
Conserved land+48.6 pts
Oacoma has more conserved land
Oacoma 59.6%Chamberlain Township 11%
Age 65++21.1 pts
Oacoma has more people 65 and up
Oacoma 26.6%Chamberlain Township 5.5%
Property tax bill+51%
Tax bills are bigger in Chamberlain Township
Chamberlain Township $2,261Oacoma $1,494
Jobs per worker2.7×
Oacoma is more of a job hub
Oacoma 1.49Chamberlain Township 0.56
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $670 more a month in Chamberlain 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.

Oacoma$1,020/mo
Typical home $172K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $883/mo · Housing →
Chamberlain Township$1,690/mo
Typical home $287K (Census) · tax rate 0.79% · Housing →

The difference: $670 a month, about $8,000 a year, between Chamberlain Township and Oacoma.

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

Oacoma and Chamberlain Township share a border

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

OacomaChamberlain TownshipOacomaChamberlain Township
Oacoma ↔ Chamberlain Township3.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
5 Chamberlain Township residents work in Oacoma (5.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Chamberlain 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.

Schools
–OacomaNot graded CChamberlain TownshipBetter than 30% of districts in the state
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
OacomaChamberlain Township
Snow a year43″43″
January low9°F9°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)156d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th54th
Outdoors & history
OacomaChamberlain Township
Trails—3 mi
Conserved land—11%
Settled—1881
National Register places—1
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—7
Community
OacomaChamberlain 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.

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.

OacomaChamberlain Township
People
Population 548Highest 307Lowest
Median age 40.2±6.3Highest 6% above SD 29.5±0.9Lowest 22% below SD
Kids under 18 25.4%±7.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 37.5%±22.7Highest SD: 24.2%
Chamberlain Township and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.6%±5.8Highest SD: 18% 5.5%±13.5Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.8%Lowest SD: 31.9% 44.3%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±3.4Highest SD: 5% 0%±4.6Lowest SD: 5%
Oacoma and Chamberlain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,333±$26k about the SD average —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $171,700±$82kLowest 33% below SD $286,800±$110kHighest 11% above SD
Chamberlain Township and Oacoma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $883±$105 7% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,494Lowest 45% below SD $2,261Highest 17% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.4%±51.5 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 5.5%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than SD 1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minHighest 16% below SD 11 minLowest 37% below SD
Work from home 6.1%±7.1Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±6.1Lowest SD: 9.7%
Oacoma and Chamberlain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 34.8 miHighest 5.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.49Highest 0.56Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Presho (10%)Chamberlain (46%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Chamberlain Township5% work in Oacoma
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 59.6%Highest 11%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 3.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 11.9Highest 1.4Lowest
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.

Oacoma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oacoma’s Town Square.

Chamberlain Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chamberlain Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oacoma and Chamberlain Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Oacoma

+ Compare
Oacoma Township51 people · $893K homes
C
+ Compare
Chamberlain2,588 people · $224K homes

Towns like Oacoma

G
+ Compare
Gayville519 people · $99K homes
L
+ Compare
Langford481 people · $125K homes
+ Compare
Canistota711 people · $137K homes
B
+ Compare
Burke708 people · $150K 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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