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Compare towns

Pearl Township vs Onaka

135 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (68.6× in Onaka) and trails (41.5× in Pearl Township).

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Pearl Township, SDAn outdoors townMcCook County · 58 people
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Onaka, SDA small town of 25South Dakota · 25 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.

OnakaA small town of 25
Quiet strengthsOnaka doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Onaka →
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.

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
Pearl TownshipOnaka
Snow a year36″35″
January low6°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)143d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd37th
Outdoors & history
Pearl TownshipOnaka
Trails8 mi—
Conserved land17.8%—
Settled—1907
Archive photos—1
Community
Pearl TownshipOnaka
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

135 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pearl Township ↔ Onaka135 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.

Pearl TownshipOnaka
People
Population 58Highest 25Lowest
Median age 13.5±39.1 64% below SD 13.5±48.3 64% below SD
Kids under 18 58.6%±82.5Highest SD: 24.2% 56%±86.4Lowest SD: 24.2%
Pearl Township and Onaka are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 0%±59.7Lowest SD: 18% 20%±100Highest SD: 18%
Onaka and Pearl Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 45.8%Highest SD: 31.9% 45.5%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±24.4 SD: 5% 0%±56.6 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 100%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% SD: 68.6% 100% SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year — 1948 32 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Work from home 0%±90.9Lowest SD: 9.7% 62.5%±97.6Highest SD: 9.7%
Onaka and Pearl Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 43.8 miLowest 89.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.13Lowest 1.17Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (43%)Yale (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OnakaFew work in Pearl Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 17.8%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.7Lowest 48.0Highest
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.

Pearl Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pearl Township’s Town Square.

Onaka neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Onaka’s Town Square.

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Bordering Pearl Township

Towns like Pearl 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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