Skip to content

TownTapestry

Find a town

Guest, Sign inJoin

Compare towns

Philip vs Lake Preston

214 miles apart. The biggest differences: work in town (+44.1 pts in Philip) and jobs per worker (3.7× in Philip).

×

Philip, SDA regional job hubSouth Dakota · 571 people

×

Lake Preston, SDKnown for its schoolsSouth Dakota · 596 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.

PhilipA regional job hub

Work560 jobsbased in Philip, a regional job hub

HistorySettled in 19072 places on the National Register All about Philip →

Lake PrestonKnown for its schools

SchoolsBetter than 71%of SD districts Housing$261K typical home19% below the SD typical home All about Lake Preston →

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.

Work in town+44.1 pts

More of Philip’s workers stay in town

Philip 47.5%Lake Preston 3.4%

Jobs per worker3.7×

Philip is more of a job hub

Philip 2.15Lake Preston 0.58

Property tax bill+73%

Tax bills are bigger in Philip

Philip $2,795Lake Preston $1,614

Average commute18 min

Philip has the shorter commute

Lake Preston 23 minPhilip 5 min

Street grid+60%

Philip has the more walkable street grid

Philip 127Lake Preston 79.0

Typical home built18 yrs

Lake Preston’s homes are older

Philip 1983Lake Preston 1965

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $450 more a month in Lake Preston

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.

Down paymentRate%

Philip$1,190/mo

Typical home $182K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $642/mo · Housing →

Lake Preston$1,640/mo

Typical home $261K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.24% · or rent about $615/mo · Housing →

The difference: $450 a month, about $5,400 a year, between Lake Preston and Philip.

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.

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

C+PhilipBetter than 42% of districts in the state B+Lake PrestonBetter than 71% 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

PhilipLake Preston

Snow a year38″41″

January low8°F 5°F

July high88°F 82°F

Growing season (days)132d 151d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st 30th

Outdoors & history

PhilipLake Preston

Conserved land—5.9%

Settled1907 —

National Register places2 3

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here2 —

Community

PhilipLake Preston

Library hours a week29 hrs 14 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

214 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PhilipSD Lake PrestonSD

Philip ↔ Lake Preston214 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.

Only big differences vs South Dakota average

PhilipLake Preston

People

Population 571Lowest 596Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.6%Lowest SD: +8.9% -1.7%Highest SD: +8.9%

Median age 52.4±12.5Highest 38% above SD 49.3±9.4Lowest 30% above SD

Philip and Lake Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 15.2%±6.2Lowest SD: 24.2% 16.8%±4.4Highest SD: 24.2%

Lake Preston and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 27.7%±10.7Highest SD: 18% 27%±7.3Lowest SD: 18%

Philip and Lake Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.9%Highest SD: 31.9% 13.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.1%±2.1Lowest SD: 5% 2.9%±1.9Highest SD: 5%

Lake Preston and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $56,635±$25kHighest 25% below SD $52,396±$16kLowest 30% below SD

Philip and Lake Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $182,100±$67kHighest 29% below SD $130,000±$56kLowest 49% below SD

Philip and Lake Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $642±$90Highest 32% below SD $615±$109Lowest 35% below SD

Philip and Lake Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,795Highest about the SD average $1,614Lowest 41% below SD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 33.3%±39.6Lowest SD: 39.8% 73.5%±25.2Highest SD: 39.8%

Lake Preston and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.6%Lowest SD: 11.9% 17%Highest SD: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70.8%Highest SD: 68.6% 61.7%Lowest SD: 68.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than SD 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than SD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 5 minLowest 71% below SD 23 minHighest 31% above SD

Work from home 0%±3.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 11.1%±8.3Highest SD: 9.7%

Lake Preston and Philip are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 47.5%Highest 3.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 29.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.15Highest 0.58Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Rapid City (8%)Brookings (15%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lake PrestonFew work in Philip

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 5.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 127Highest 79.0Lowest

Schools

School district Haakon School District 27-1Lake Preston School District 38-3

High school in town Philip High School - 01Lake Preston High School - 01

Students per teacherat that high school 13.6Highest 5.5Lowest

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.

Philip neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Philip’s Town Square.

Lake Preston neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lake Preston’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Philip and Lake Preston

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

Towns like Philip

Kimball457 people · $153K homes

Marion981 people · $165K homes

Bridgewater451 people · $116K homes

New Underwood509 people · $194K 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.