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Sterling Township vs La Valley Township

71 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (18.8× in La Valley Township) and average commute (7 min in Sterling Township).

S ×
Sterling Township, SDA small town of 345Brookings County · 345 people
L ×
La Valley Township, SDA small town of 498Lincoln County · 498 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.

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 →
La Valley TownshipA small town of 498
Quiet strengthsLa Valley Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about La Valley 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 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.

Sterling Township$3,270/mo
Typical home $559K (Census) · tax rate 0.74% · Housing →
La Valley Township$2,960/mo
Typical home $495K (Census) · tax rate 0.90% · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Sterling Township and La Valley 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.

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
Sterling TownshipLa Valley Township
Snow a year36″49″
January low4°F—
July high81°F—
Growing season (days)145d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th54th
Outdoors & history
Sterling TownshipLa Valley Township
Trails2 mi1 mi
Conserved land1.3%0%
National Register places22
Community
Sterling TownshipLa Valley 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.

Where they are

71 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Sterling Township ↔ La Valley Township71 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.

Sterling TownshipLa Valley Township
People
Population 345Lowest 498Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +25.8% SD: +8.9%
Median age 51.5±6.5Lowest 36% above SD 55±12.8Highest 45% above SD
La Valley Township and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.3%±21.6Lowest SD: 24.2% 21.1%±12.1Highest SD: 24.2%
La Valley Township and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±12.5Lowest SD: 18% 13.7%±9.7Highest SD: 18%
La Valley Township and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.5%Highest SD: 31.9% 13.7%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±5.5Highest SD: 5% 0%±2.8Lowest SD: 5%
Sterling Township and La Valley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $144,318±$8kHighest 92% above SD $135,489±$53kLowest 80% above SD
Sterling Township and La Valley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $558,800±$186kHighest 117% above SD $494,900±$121kLowest 92% above SD
Sterling Township and La Valley Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,133Lowest 52% above SD $4,431Highest 63% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 0%±100 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest SD: 11.9% 5.2%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest SD: 68.6% 94.8%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2011Highest 31 yrs newer than SD 2002Lowest 22 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 10% below SD 23 minHighest 27% above SD
Work from home 5.1%±7.6Lowest SD: 9.7% 20%±12.5Highest SD: 9.7%
La Valley Township and Sterling Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 0.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.04Lowest 0.75Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Brookings (46%)Sioux Falls (63%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in La Valley TownshipFew work in Sterling Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.7 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Lowest 1.6Highest
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.

Sterling Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sterling Township’s Town Square.

La Valley Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Valley Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sterling Township and La Valley Township

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

Bordering Sterling Township

Towns like Sterling 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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