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Compare towns

Wagner vs Lawrence Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (44.7× in Wagner) and jobs per worker (13.7× in Wagner).

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Wagner, SDOne of the safest townsSouth Dakota · 1,529 people
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Lawrence Township, SDA small town of 501Charles Mix County · 501 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.

WagnerOne of the safest towns
SafetySafer than 5%of U.S. towns we grade Work1,047 jobsbased in Wagner, a regional job hub Health90% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Wagner →
Lawrence TownshipA small town of 501
Quiet strengthsLawrence Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lawrence 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.

Street grid44.7×
Wagner has the more walkable street grid
Wagner 58.1Lawrence Township 1.3
Jobs per worker13.7×
Wagner is more of a job hub
Wagner 2.06Lawrence Township 0.15
Work in town+42.7 pts
More of Wagner’s workers stay in town
Wagner 42.7%Lawrence Township 0%
Median age16.5 yrs
Wagner skews older
Wagner 34.3Lawrence Township 17.8
Age 65++16.8 pts
Wagner has more people 65 and up
Wagner 19.6%Lawrence Township 2.8%
Growth since 2010+10.4 pts
Wagner has grown faster since 2010
Wagner -4.9%Lawrence Township -15.3%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $620 more a month in Lawrence 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.

Wagner$850/mo
Typical home $136K (Census) · tax rate 1.18% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →
Lawrence Township$1,470/mo
Typical home $259K (Census) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Lawrence Township and Wagner.

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

Wagner and Lawrence Township share a border

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

WagnerLawrence TownshipWagnerLawrence Township
Wagner ↔ Lawrence Township3.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
68 Lawrence Township residents work in Wagner (45.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lawrence 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
DWagnerSafer than 5% of U.S. towns –Lawrence TownshipNot graded
Schools
CWagnerBetter than 26% of districts in the state –Lawrence TownshipNot graded
Health
DWagnerHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns –Lawrence 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
WagnerLawrence Township
Snow a year31″31″
January low12°F12°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)165d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd43rd
Outdoors & history
WagnerLawrence Township
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—2.4%
Settled1900—
Archive photos3—
Famous people born here3—
Community
WagnerLawrence Township
Library hours a week38 hrs—
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.

WagnerLawrence Township
People
Population 1,529Highest 501Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.9%Highest SD: +8.9% -15.3%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 34.3±5.1Highest 10% below SD 17.8±4.8Lowest 53% below SD
Kids under 18 29.8%±5Lowest SD: 24.2% 50.3%±24.6Highest SD: 24.2%
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.6%±4Highest SD: 18% 2.8%±6.4Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 29.8%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±1.4Highest SD: 5% 1.2%±2.5Lowest SD: 5%
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $47,462±$6kLowest 37% below SD $65,833±$36kHighest 12% below SD
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $136,000±$16kLowest 47% below SD $259,400±$185kHighest about the SD average
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $684±$127Highest 28% below SD $675±$420Lowest 29% below SD
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,607Highest 41% below SD $1,330Lowest 51% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.9%±11.9Lowest SD: 39.8% 37%±62.5Highest SD: 39.8%
Lawrence Township and Wagner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.7%Lowest SD: 11.9% 58.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55.5%Lowest SD: 68.6% 70%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Lowest 21 yrs older than SD 1980Highest same as SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 14 minHighest 21% below SD
Work from home 0.9%±1Highest SD: 9.7% 0%±7.9Lowest SD: 9.7%
Wagner and Lawrence Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 42.7%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.8 miLowest 6.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.06Highest 0.15Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Dante (11%)Wagner (45%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lawrence Township45% work in Wagner
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 2.4%Highest
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 58.1Highest 1.3Lowest
Schools
School district Wagner Community School District 11-4—
High school in town Wagner High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 11.7 —
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.

Wagner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wagner’s Town Square.

Lawrence Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lawrence Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Wagner

B
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Bryan Township341 people · $293K homes

Towns like Wagner

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Sisseton2,670 people · $109K homes
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Flandreau2,392 people · $150K homes
E
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Elkton977 people · $185K homes
G
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Gregory1,379 people · $115K 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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