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Oak Lake Township vs Richland Township

47 miles apart. The biggest differences: work from home (+70 pts in Oak Lake Township) and conserved land (+28.8 pts in Richland Township).

O ×
Oak Lake Township, SDA small town of 109Brookings County · 109 people
R ×
Richland Township, SDAn outdoors townCodington County · 112 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.

Oak Lake TownshipA small town of 109
Quiet strengthsOak Lake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oak Lake 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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $730 more a month in Richland 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.

Oak Lake Township$1,610/mo
Typical home $278K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · Housing →
Richland Township$2,350/mo
Typical home $348K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $730 a month, about $8,800 a year, between Richland Township and Oak Lake 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.

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
Oak Lake TownshipRichland Township
Snow a year36″41″
January low4°F3°F
July high81°F82°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th46th
Outdoors & history
Oak Lake TownshipRichland Township
Trails2 mi4 mi
Conserved land4.4%33.2%
Community
Oak Lake TownshipRichland 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

47 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Oak Lake Township ↔ Richland Township47 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.

Oak Lake TownshipRichland Township
People
Population 109Lowest 112Highest
Median age 60±21.6Highest 58% above SD 58.6±11.8Lowest 54% above SD
Oak Lake Township and Richland Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.9%±20.2Highest SD: 24.2% 17.9%±22.6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Oak Lake Township and Richland Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.4%±39.2Lowest SD: 18% 33%±25.7Highest SD: 18%
Richland Township and Oak Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.2%Highest SD: 31.9% 16.3%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±13 SD: 5% 0%±12.6 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $133,125±$117k 77% above SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $277,700±$16kLowest 8% above SD $347,900±$30kHighest 35% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,866 31% below SD —
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Lowest 7 yrs older than SD 1986Highest 6 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 20 min 14% above SD
Work from home 70%±33.3Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±17.5Lowest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.91Highest 0.42Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (49%)Watertown (47%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Richland TownshipFew work in Oak Lake Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Lowest 33.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.9 miLowest 3.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 6Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Highest 1.0Lowest
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.

Oak Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oak Lake Township’s Town Square.

Richland Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Richland Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oak Lake Township and Richland Township

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Bordering Oak Lake Township

Towns like Oak Lake 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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