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Vilas vs Howard Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (9.3× in Howard Township) and street grid (3.4× in Vilas).

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Vilas, SDA small town of 21South Dakota · 21 people
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Howard Township, SDA small town of 195Miner County · 195 people
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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.

VilasA small town of 21
Quiet strengthsVilas doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Vilas →
Howard TownshipA small town of 195
Quiet strengthsHoward Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Howard 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.

Size9.3×
Howard Township is the bigger place
Howard Township 195Vilas 21
Street grid3.4×
Vilas has the more walkable street grid
Vilas 3.7Howard Township 1.1
Conserved land+32.2 pts
Vilas has more conserved land
Vilas 40.9%Howard Township 8.7%
Bachelor’s degree++20.8 pts
More adults in Howard Township have a degree
Howard Township 20.8%Vilas 0%
Homeowners+12.5 pts renters
Howard Township has more renters
Vilas 100%Howard Township 87.5%
★ What stands out · Where they are

Vilas and Howard Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

VilasHoward TownshipVilasHoward Township
Vilas ↔ Howard Township3.3 miles apart · They share a border
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
VilasHoward Township
Snow a year36″36″
January low5°F5°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)149d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th29th
Outdoors & history
VilasHoward Township
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—8.7%
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—4
Community
VilasHoward 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.

VilasHoward Township
People
Population 21Lowest 195Highest
Median age 9.8±63Lowest 74% below SD 62.4±1.7Highest 64% above SD
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 61.9%±93.8Highest SD: 24.2% 12.8%±16.6Lowest SD: 24.2%
Vilas and Howard Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 0%±100Lowest SD: 18% 30.8%±17.5Highest SD: 18%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest SD: 31.9% 20.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±67.3Lowest SD: 5% 6.7%±7.5Highest SD: 5%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,200 56% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 0%±100 SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 0% SD: 11.9% 0% SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest SD: 68.6% 87.5%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year — 1953 27 yrs older than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 10 min 43% below SD
Work from home 0%±100Lowest SD: 9.7% 7.1%±7.8Highest SD: 9.7%
Howard Township and Vilas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 3.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 19.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.60Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Howard (29%)Howard (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Howard TownshipFew work in Vilas
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 40.9%Highest 8.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.3 miHighest
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 3.7Highest 1.1Lowest
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.

Vilas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vilas’s Town Square.

Howard Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Howard Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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