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Summit Township vs Ordway Township

120 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+52% in Summit Township) and jobs per worker (2.1× in Ordway Township).

S ×
Summit Township, SDA small town of 159Lake County · 159 people
O ×
Ordway Township, SDA small town of 118Brown County · 118 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.

Summit TownshipA small town of 159
Quiet strengthsSummit Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Summit Township →
Ordway TownshipA small town of 118
Quiet strengthsOrdway Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Ordway 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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

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

Summit Township$1,560/mo
Typical home $254K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · Housing →
Ordway Township$1,150/mo
Typical home $190K (Census) · tax rate 0.95% · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,000 a year, between Summit Township and Ordway 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
Summit TownshipOrdway Township
Snow a year37″42″
January low5°F—
July high83°F—
Growing season (days)148d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st37th
Outdoors & history
Summit TownshipOrdway Township
Trails4 mi2 mi
Conserved land11.8%2.4%
Community
Summit TownshipOrdway 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

120 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Summit Township ↔ Ordway Township120 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.

Summit TownshipOrdway Township
People
Population 159Highest 118Lowest
Median age 42.3±17.6Lowest 11% above SD 44.5±58.8Highest 17% above SD
Ordway Township and Summit Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.8%±13.1Lowest SD: 24.2% 39.8%±11.3Highest SD: 24.2%
Ordway Township and Summit Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.8%±16.4Lowest SD: 18% 39%±9.9Highest SD: 18%
Ordway Township and Summit Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.3%Lowest SD: 31.9% 56.3%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±8.9 SD: 5% 0%±12 SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $83,125±$42k 11% above SD —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $254,200±$64kHighest about the SD average $189,700±$17kLowest 26% below SD
Summit Township and Ordway Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,742Highest about the SD average $1,806Lowest 34% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100 SD: 39.8% —
Below poverty line 3.8%Highest SD: 11.9% 0%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 97.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 100%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 3 yrs older than SD 2001Highest 21 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 min 72% above SD —
Work from home 9%±6.7Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±34.5Lowest SD: 9.7%
Summit Township and Ordway 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 14.3 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.20Lowest 0.41Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Madison (39%)Aberdeen (45%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Ordway TownshipFew work in Summit Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.8%Highest 2.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.1 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 1.4Highest
Schools
School district Oldham-Ramona-Rutland School District 39-6—
High school in town None in town—
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.

Summit Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Summit Township’s Town Square.

Ordway Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ordway Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Summit Township

Towns like Summit Township

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks South Dakota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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