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Oakwood Township vs Sterling Township

Next-door neighbors in Brookings County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.5× in Oakwood Township) and age 65+ (+45.3 pts in Oakwood Township).

O ×
Oakwood Township, SDAn outdoors townBrookings County · 246 people
S ×
Sterling Township, SDA small town of 345Brookings County · 345 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.

Oakwood TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors18.3% conserved land3.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Oakwood Township →
Sterling TownshipA small town of 345
Quiet strengthsSterling Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sterling 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.

Jobs per worker8.5×
Oakwood Township is more of a job hub
Oakwood Township 0.34Sterling Township 0.04
Age 65++45.3 pts
Oakwood Township has more people 65 and up
Oakwood Township 54.9%Sterling Township 9.6%
Home values2×
Homes cost more in Sterling Township
Sterling Township $558,800Oakwood Township $281,000
Seasonal homes+30.9 pts
Oakwood Township has more second homes
Oakwood Township 30.9%Sterling Township 0%
Median age14 yrs
Oakwood Township skews older
Oakwood Township 65.5Sterling Township 51.5
Property tax bill+52%
Tax bills are bigger in Sterling Township
Sterling Township $4,133Oakwood Township $2,718
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,570 more a month in Sterling 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.

Oakwood Township$1,700/mo
Typical home $281K (Census) · tax rate 0.97% · Housing →
Sterling Township$3,270/mo
Typical home $559K (Census) · tax rate 0.74% · Housing →

The difference: $1,570 a month, about $18,900 a year, between Sterling Township and Oakwood 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

Oakwood Township and Sterling Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Oakwood TownshipSterling TownshipOakwood TownshipSterling Township
Oakwood Township ↔ Sterling Township7.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Oakwood TownshipSterling Township
Snow a year36″36″
January low4°F4°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th57th
Outdoors & history
Oakwood TownshipSterling Township
Trails3 mi2 mi
Conserved land18.3%1.3%
National Register places22
Community
Oakwood TownshipSterling 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.

Oakwood TownshipSterling Township
People
Population 246Lowest 345Highest
Median age 65.5±2Highest 72% above SD 51.5±6.5Lowest 36% above SD
Kids under 18 6.1%±11.8Lowest SD: 24.2% 20.3%±21.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Sterling Township and Oakwood Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 54.9%±15.3Highest SD: 18% 9.6%±12.5Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 23.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±5.7Lowest SD: 5% 2.6%±5.5Highest SD: 5%
Sterling Township and Oakwood Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $117,656±$68kLowest 57% above SD $144,318±$8kHighest 92% above SD
Sterling Township and Oakwood Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $281,000±$68kLowest 9% above SD $558,800±$186kHighest 117% above SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,718Lowest about the SD average $4,133Highest 52% above SD
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.7%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Lowest 5 yrs newer than SD 2011Highest 31 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 45% above SD 16 minLowest 10% below SD
Work from home 4.3%±6.2Lowest SD: 9.7% 5.1%±7.6Highest SD: 9.7%
Sterling Township and Oakwood Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.9%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.34Highest 0.04Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (48%)Brookings (46%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Sterling TownshipFew work in Oakwood Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 18.3%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.0 miHighest 1.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 1.3Highest
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.

Oakwood Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oakwood Township’s Town Square.

Sterling Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sterling Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Oakwood Township

W
+ Compare
Winsor Township190 people · $395K homes
V
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Volga Township124 people
P
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Preston Township60 people · $418K homes
B
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Bruce290 people · $114K homes

Towns like Oakwood Township

C
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Clyde Township268 people · $267K homes
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Lake Hendricks Township192 people · $622K homes
V
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Valley Springs Township223 people · $386K homes
W
+ Compare
Woonsocket Township184 people · $189K 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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