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Watertown vs Pelican Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (24.8× in Watertown) and size (21.7× in Watertown).

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Watertown, SDA history townSouth Dakota · 23,044 people
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Pelican Township, SDA small town of 1,064Codington County · 1,064 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.

Pelican TownshipA small town of 1,064
Quiet strengthsPelican Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Pelican 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 $160 more a month in Pelican 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.

Watertown$1,910/mo
Typical home $315K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $942/mo · Housing →
Pelican Township$2,070/mo
Typical home $347K (Census) · tax rate 0.89% · Housing →

The difference: $160 a month, about $1,900 a year, between Pelican Township and Watertown.

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

Watertown and Pelican Township share a border

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

WatertownPelican TownshipWatertownPelican Township
Watertown ↔ Pelican Township5.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
258 Pelican Township residents work in Watertown (66.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Pelican 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.

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
WatertownPelican Township
Snow a year41″41″
January low3°F3°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th38th
Outdoors & history
WatertownPelican Township
Trails10 mi4 mi
Conserved land3.3%7%
Settled1879—
National Register places28—
Archive photos6—
Famous people born here31—
Community
WatertownPelican Township
Library hours a week63 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

WatertownPelican Township
People
Population 23,044Highest 1,064Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.5%Highest SD: +8.9% +1.1%Lowest SD: +8.9%
Median age 39.5±1.1Highest 4% above SD 33.7±7Lowest 11% below SD
Watertown and Pelican Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.9%±1.7Lowest SD: 24.2% 33.6%±7Highest SD: 24.2%
Age 65+ 19.8%±1.9Highest SD: 18% 10.8%±3.4Lowest SD: 18%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.6%Highest SD: 31.9% 19.4%Lowest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.1Highest SD: 5% 0.2%±1Lowest SD: 5%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $69,600±$7kLowest 7% below SD $98,977±$37kHighest 32% above SD
Pelican Township and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $229,400±$15kLowest 11% below SD $346,700±$66kHighest 35% above SD
Rentmedian gross, monthly $942±$47 about the SD average —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,285Lowest 16% below SD $3,075Highest 13% above SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35.9%±5.6Lowest SD: 39.8% 100%±35.9Highest SD: 39.8%
Below poverty line 9%Lowest SD: 11.9% 17.8%Highest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.3%Lowest SD: 68.6% 93.7%Highest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 1 yr older than SD 1980Highest same as SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 29% below SD 13 minHighest 28% below SD
Work from home 4.8%±1.4Lowest SD: 9.7% 5.3%±6Highest SD: 9.7%
Pelican Township and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 66.6%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 miLowest 5.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Highest 0.32Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux Falls (9%)Watertown (66%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Pelican Township66% work in Watertown
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.3%Lowest 7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 9.7 miHighest 4.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 30Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.7Highest 1.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #11 of 34 in SD—
School district Watertown School District 14-4—
High school in town Watertown High School - 01—
Students per teacherat that high school 16.8 —
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.

Watertown neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Watertown’s Town Square.

Pelican Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pelican Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Watertown

Towns like Watertown

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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