Hand County, South Dakota (1892), 1892
Bates Township’s story
Bates Township in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1892 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
Explore the history →Bates TownshipSD
With 27 residents, it is a town in South Dakota.
Is Bates Township a good place to live?
55% of residents live below the poverty line in Bates Township, above both the South Dakota town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher midpoint age than Bates Township. Bates Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
27 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Scotland TownshipVerdonEast Hanson TownshipGarden Prairie TownshipConde TownshipBates Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bates Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bates Township, and how to reach them.
PowerNorthWestern Energy13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWEB WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bates Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personSouth Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBrown County AuditorBrown County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP codes57434, 5744557434 51% · 57445 49%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bates Township.
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Bates Township’s year
The peak summer temperature for Bates Township comes to 83°F.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–25°
Spring32–54°
Summer58–81°
Fall35–57°
Sep 29
typical first frost
May 6
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Bates Township is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Households in Bates Township have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Bates Township is
Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Bates Township. The town does better than the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 6. The share of adults in Bates Township who have been diagnosed with depression: 20%.
| Bates Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
2 better18 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Bates Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 75.9% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.2% | 84.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 9.2% |
Sanford Medical Center Aberdeen
In Aberdeen · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Bates Township has set aside 2.7% of its land for conservation
17 miles of trail. The concentration of trails in Bates Township is 0.5 miles per square mile.
2.7%conserved
| Bates Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
2.7%
conserved · 618 of 22,743 acres
17 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bates Township
15pages on Bates Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bates Township; the nearest are
Northern State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Aberdeen24.9 mi$8,845 in-state tuitionLake Area Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Watertown52.7 mi$6,718 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Bates Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Questions about Bates Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bates Township, SD a good place to live?
Bates Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.