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Plain Center Township vs White Swan Township

Next-door neighbors in Charles Mix County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.4× in Plain Center Township) and property tax bill (+60% in White Swan Township).

P ×
Plain Center Township, SDA small town of 158Charles Mix County · 158 people
W ×
White Swan Township, SDAn outdoors townCharles Mix County · 589 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.

Plain Center TownshipA small town of 158
Quiet strengthsPlain Center Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Plain Center Township →
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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $310 more a month in Plain Center 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.

Plain Center Township$1,910/mo
Typical home $330K (Census) · tax rate 0.65% · Housing →
White Swan Township$1,600/mo
Typical home $250K (Census) · tax rate 1.38% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Plain Center Township and White Swan 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

Plain Center Township and White Swan Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Plain Center TownshipWhite Swan TownshipPlain Center TownshipWhite Swan Township
Plain Center Township ↔ White Swan Township7.2 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
Plain Center TownshipWhite Swan Township
Snow a year31″31″
January low12°F12°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)165d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th47th
Outdoors & history
Plain Center TownshipWhite Swan Township
Trails6 mi13 mi
Conserved land8.3%16.2%
National Register places—1
Community
Plain Center TownshipWhite Swan 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.

Plain Center TownshipWhite Swan Township
People
Population 158Lowest 589Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -0.3% SD: +8.9%
Median age 30.8±32Lowest 19% below SD 51.4±16.6Highest 35% above SD
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.6%±25.9Highest SD: 24.2% 24.6%±6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 4.4%±21.3Lowest SD: 18% 27.3%±2.3Highest SD: 18%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36%Highest SD: 31.9% 29.6%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.3%±12.3Highest SD: 5% 1.5%±1.5Lowest SD: 5%
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,214±$46kLowest about the SD average $88,594±$11kHighest 18% above SD
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $330,000±$156kHighest 28% above SD $250,000±$62kLowest about the SD average
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $675±$543 29% below SD
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,154Lowest 21% below SD $3,439Highest 26% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8% 25.9%±70.8Highest SD: 39.8%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7%Lowest SD: 11.9% 31.4%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 81%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990 10 yrs newer than SD 1990 10 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 49% above SD 12 minLowest 33% below SD
Work from home 11.4%±8.7Lowest SD: 9.7% 12.2%±4.5Highest SD: 9.7%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 16.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Highest 0.08Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Wagner (31%)Wagner (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in White Swan TownshipFew work in Plain Center Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8.3%Lowest 16.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.6 miLowest 12.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Highest 0.9Lowest
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.

Plain Center Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plain Center Township’s Town Square.

White Swan Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to White Swan Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Plain Center Township

Towns like Plain Center 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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