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Sioux Falls vs Wayne Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (121.8× in Sioux Falls) and size (215.2× in Sioux Falls).

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Sioux Falls, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 201,469 people
W ×
Wayne Township, SDA small town of 936Minnehaha County · 936 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.

Sioux FallsA history town
HistorySettled in 185674 places on the National Register College town4 collegesAugustana University Housing$332K typical home3% above the SD typical home All about Sioux Falls →
Wayne TownshipA small town of 936
Quiet strengthsWayne Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wayne 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.

Trails121.8×
Sioux Falls has more miles of trail
Sioux Falls 60.9 miWayne Township 0.5 mi
Size215.2×
Sioux Falls is the bigger place
Sioux Falls 201,469Wayne Township 936
Street grid25×
Sioux Falls has the more walkable street grid
Sioux Falls 72.4Wayne Township 2.9
Work in town+79.8 pts
More of Sioux Falls’s workers stay in town
Sioux Falls 80.7%Wayne Township 0.9%
Household income2.1×
Households in Wayne Township earn more
Wayne Township $159,901Sioux Falls $75,970
Growth since 2010+35 pts
Sioux Falls has grown faster since 2010
Sioux Falls +25.1%Wayne Township -9.9%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Wayne 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.

Sioux Falls$2,060/mo
Typical home $332K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,035/mo · Housing →
Wayne Township$2,490/mo
Typical home $422K (Census) · tax rate 0.78% · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,100 a year, between Wayne Township and Sioux Falls.

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

Sioux Falls and Wayne Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Sioux FallsWayne TownshipSioux FallsWayne Township
Sioux Falls ↔ Wayne Township6.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
439 Wayne Township residents work in Sioux Falls (77.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Wayne Township →
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.

Safety
C−Sioux FallsSafer than 15% of U.S. towns –Wayne TownshipNot graded
Schools
C+Sioux FallsBetter than 41% of districts in the state –Wayne TownshipNot graded
Health
B+Sioux FallsHealthier than 74% of U.S. towns –Wayne TownshipNot graded
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
Sioux FallsWayne Township
Snow a year49″45″
January low—9°F
July high—85°F
Growing season (days)—157d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th26th
Outdoors & history
Sioux FallsWayne Township
Trails61 mi1 mi
Conserved land5.3%0%
Settled1856—
National Register places74—
Community
Sioux FallsWayne Township
Library hours a week62 hrs—
Colleges in town4—
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.

Sioux FallsWayne Township
People
Population 201,469Highest 936Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +25.1%Highest SD: +8.9% -9.9%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 35.5±0.3Lowest 7% below SD 41.4±17.5Highest 9% above SD
Wayne Township and Sioux Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.4%±0.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 29.8%±7.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Wayne Township and Sioux Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.1%±0.5Highest SD: 18% 12.7%±3.7Lowest SD: 18%
Sioux Falls and Wayne Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.1%Highest SD: 31.9% 35.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±0.5Highest SD: 5% 0.9%±1.7Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $75,970±$2kLowest about the SD average $159,901±$43kHighest 113% above SD
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $292,400±$6kLowest 14% above SD $421,700±$120kHighest 64% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,035±$26 9% above SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,389Highest 24% above SD $3,288Lowest 21% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.7%±3.1 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 9.6%Lowest SD: 11.9% 11%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 97.8%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 13 yrs newer than SD 1979Lowest 1 yr older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 4% below SD 25 minHighest 41% above SD
Work from home 10.6%±0.8Lowest SD: 9.7% 30.9%±12.7Highest SD: 9.7%
Work in townworking residents 80.7%Highest 0.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.8 miLowest 6.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.30Highest 0.55Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Brandon (1%)Sioux Falls (78%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Wayne Township78% work in Sioux Falls
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 60.9 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 71Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.4Highest 2.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #25 of 34 in SD—
School district East Dakota Educational Cooperative · Tea Area School District 41-5—
High school in town Lincoln High School - 02—
Students per teacherat that high school 16.5 —
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.

Sioux Falls neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sioux Falls’s Town Square.

Wayne Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wayne Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sioux Falls and Wayne Township

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Bordering Sioux Falls

S
+ Compare
Split Rock Township3,143 people · $500K homes
S
+ Compare
Springdale Township1,791 people · $664K homes
D
+ Compare
Delapre Township2,025 people · $472K homes
B
+ Compare
Brandon Township536 people · $346K 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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