Dayton TownshipSD
A town of 738.
Is Dayton Township a good place to live?
Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Dayton Township. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Alvin Game Production Area, at 24 acres. Dayton Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
738 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Dayton Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dayton 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dayton Township.
Fewer young adults than South Dakota overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 3% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 29% of residents (18% statewide). Dayton Township’s median age is 50.8 years, above both South Dakota’s towns (39.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). 41% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Dayton Township.
| Dayton Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.8 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 38% and 98% women
The Census survey reached too few of Dayton Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±29.9 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Dayton Township | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.3% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.7% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.4% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.6% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 20.4% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.7% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.6% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 700, single groups can be off by several points
A smaller share of working residents work locally in Dayton Township than in most of South Dakota or the rest of the country
1.1% of Dayton Township working residents work locally, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 8%. Since 2013, Dayton Township has added 68 jobs, to 106 in 2023. 1.8% of Dayton Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Dayton Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dayton Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Dayton Township has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 8° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Dayton Township is
Dayton Township beats the South Dakota average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Dayton Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Dayton Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.9% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Moderate risk in Dayton Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dayton Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.2% of Dayton Township is conserved land
Only 3 of the 33 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Dayton Township.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Alvin Game Production Area | — | 24 |
| 2. Hidden Bridge Wildlife Area | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Great Plains Zoo and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dayton Township. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Plains Zoo
13 mi MuseumWashington Pavilion of Arts and Science
13 mi MuseumPettigrew Home & Museum34 mi MuseumPorter Sculpture Park
28 mi MuseumHinkly House Museum
34 mi MuseumJasper MuseumPhoto credits
Great Plains Zoo: Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science: Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pettigrew Home & Museum: Jerry from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hinkly House Museum: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jasper Museum: Heritage Preservation Department - MNHS, CC BY-SA 2.0
Everything we know about Dayton Township
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Dayton Township
About 2 of every 100 Dayton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
99% of working residents leave Dayton Township for work
Where Dayton Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Dayton Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dayton Township, SD a good place to live?
Dayton Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.