Preston TownshipSD
A town of 167.
Is Preston Township a good place to live?
The biggest park or preserve is Oakwood Lakes State Park, at 45 acres. Preston Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
167 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Preston Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Preston 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 Preston Township.
Most of Preston Township’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
For half of commuters, work is under 17 miles away. Preston Township’s average commute is 18 minutes, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are Brookings (32%), Sioux Falls (15%) and Volga (11%). 12% of residents live below the poverty line locally.
| Preston Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Preston Township
Preston Township’s midsummer high is 82°F, below both South Dakota’s towns (85°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Preston Township is
Among adults in Preston Township, 19% get no exercise outside work and 30% sleep under 7 hours. Of 26 CDC measures, Preston Township beats the South Dakota average on 9 and trails it on 1. For adults locally, the share who report frequent mental distress is 13%.
| Preston Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Preston Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.5% | 12.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Preston Township has set aside 8.7% of its land for conservation
2.3 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Only 2 of the 33 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower concentration of trails than Preston Township.
| Preston Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.7% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oakwood Lakes State Park | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Preston Township: inland flooding
Compared with 57% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Preston Township is higher. FEMA puts nearly half of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 19% to tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Preston Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Preston Township; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Preston Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
100% of working residents leave Preston Township for work
Where Preston Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Preston Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Preston Township, SD a good place to live?
Preston Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.