Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 209, established in 1909.
Buffalo Township’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, against 17 minutes in South Dakota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Buffalo Township. Tolefsons Beef Stock Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Buffalo Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 380 in 1950, a peak of 652 in 1960, 346 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buffalo Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Buffalo Township.
Most working residents leave Buffalo Township for work: only 0% work in town. 3.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Buffalo Township, below both the South Dakota town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Sioux Falls (49%), Lyons (11%) and Hartford (3%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Buffalo Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Buffalo Township is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Buffalo Township beats the South Dakota average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Buffalo Township. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Buffalo Township.
| Buffalo Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Buffalo Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.6% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Buffalo Township
About 1 of every 100 Buffalo Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Buffalo Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Buffalo Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.