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White Swan Township vs Plain Center Township

Next-door neighbors in Charles Mix County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.4× in Plain Center Township) and property tax bill (+60% in White Swan Township).

W ×
White Swan Township, SDAn outdoors townCharles Mix County · 589 people
P ×
Plain Center Township, SDA small town of 158Charles Mix County · 158 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.

Plain Center TownshipA small town of 158
Quiet strengthsPlain Center Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Plain Center 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 Plain Center 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.

White Swan Township$1,600/mo
Typical home $250K (Census) · tax rate 1.38% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →
Plain Center Township$1,910/mo
Typical home $330K (Census) · tax rate 0.65% · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Plain Center Township and White Swan 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.

Where they are

White Swan Township and Plain Center Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

White Swan TownshipPlain Center TownshipWhite Swan TownshipPlain Center Township
White Swan Township ↔ Plain Center Township7.2 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
White Swan TownshipPlain Center Township
Snow a year31″31″
January low12°F12°F
July high87°F87°F
Growing season (days)165d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th47th
Outdoors & history
White Swan TownshipPlain Center Township
Trails13 mi6 mi
Conserved land16.2%8.3%
National Register places1—
Community
White Swan TownshipPlain Center 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.

White Swan TownshipPlain Center Township
People
Population 589Highest 158Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.3% SD: +8.9% —
Median age 51.4±16.6Highest 35% above SD 30.8±32Lowest 19% below SD
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.6%±6Lowest SD: 24.2% 26.6%±25.9Highest SD: 24.2%
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.3%±2.3Highest SD: 18% 4.4%±21.3Lowest SD: 18%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.6%Lowest SD: 31.9% 36%Highest SD: 31.9%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.5%±1.5Lowest SD: 5% 13.3%±12.3Highest SD: 5%
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,594±$11kHighest 18% above SD $73,214±$46kLowest about the SD average
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $250,000±$62kLowest about the SD average $330,000±$156kHighest 28% above SD
Plain Center Township and White Swan Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $675±$543 29% below SD —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,439Highest 26% above SD $2,154Lowest 21% below SD
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 25.9%±70.8Highest SD: 39.8% 0%±100Lowest SD: 39.8%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 31.4%Highest SD: 11.9% 7%Lowest SD: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81%Highest SD: 68.6% 77.3%Lowest SD: 68.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990 10 yrs newer than SD 1990 10 yrs newer than SD
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 33% below SD 27 minHighest 49% above SD
Work from home 12.2%±4.5Highest SD: 9.7% 11.4%±8.7Lowest SD: 9.7%
White Swan Township and Plain Center Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.08Lowest 0.59Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Wagner (20%)Wagner (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Plain Center TownshipFew work in White Swan Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 16.2%Highest 8.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 12.8 miHighest 5.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.9Lowest 1.1Highest
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.

White Swan Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to White Swan Township’s Town Square.

Plain Center Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plain Center Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering White Swan Township

Towns like White Swan 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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