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Rapid City, South Dakota

city · Pennington County

At a glance

77,946
Population
$299,400
Median home value (all homes)
1% below U.S. median
$367,120
Typical market value
Zillow, 2026-07
$1,109/mo
Median rent
18% below U.S. median
$70,870
Median household income
10% below U.S. median
17.5 min
Average commute
90.3%
Homes with broadband
33.49%
Locations with fiber available
2.6%
Unemployment

Cost of living (Clay Affordability Index)

CAI 94 — 6% below the national average. how it's computed

Housing16% above
Goods & services6% below
Utilities15% below
Taxes68% below
Insurance12% below
Commute cost37% below
For business: South Dakota is CBII band 2/5 · time to build band 1/5. See state page for the breakdown.

Living here

Colleges in town:
National American University-Rapid City Graduate degrees
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Graduate degrees
Western Dakota Technical Institute 2-year
Black Hills Beauty College Certificates
Headlines Academy Inc Certificates
Nearest 4-year college1 mi
Nearest community college3 mi
Nearest technical college0 mi
High school graduates94.5%
College graduates37%

Doing business here

Economic development contacts, most local first:

city Elevate Rapid City
Elevate Rapid City is the western South Dakota economic development organization formed in 2019 from a merger of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Partnership, and Economic Development Foundation (Ascent Innovation). It promotes business and personal advancement with a focus on jobs, infrastructure, and quality of life in the Black Hills region and the Rapid City metro area.
state South Dakota Prairie Gateway
state South Dakota Rural Enterprise
Dakota Resources is an intermediary serving rural economic development organizations (EDOs), providing flexible financing, leadership coaching, collaborative networks, and real-time resources to strengthen EDOs and rural communities.
state South Dakota's Governor's Office of Eco Dev
GOED provides financing, research, networking, and other resources to help new and existing businesses flourish in South Dakota.
State sales taxYes
State income taxNone
Right-to-work stateYes

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