Compare Black Hills Communities
25 towns and unincorporated communities. Pick two to four and the full table appears underneath. Commutes are driving times to the Ellsworth main gate and downtown Rapid City. Median sold prices, where we have them, come from the MLS over the trailing twelve months with the source, window and sale count printed under each figure. Typical price bands are practical search ranges, not medians, and are labelled separately.
8 of 25 communities
Price filters only consider communities with a published trailing twelve month median, so towns without one do not appear in a price filter.
The five facts that decide a shortlist
Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
Everything within about twenty five minutes of downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth main gate, where most of the newer inventory, the shortest commutes and the jurisdiction questions about city versus county service are.
- Typical price
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $349,950. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 706 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 24 min, 13.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 5 min, 1.5 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Northern Hills and I-90
The Sturgis to Belle Fourche side of the Hills, with its own hospitals, schools and employers, so a job in Spearfish or Sturgis does not have to mean a Rapid City commute.
- Typical price
- $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 55 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 50 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $300k to $450kMedian sold $365,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 97 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 48 min, 38.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 33 min, 28.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Central and Southern Hills
In the timber and on the far southern edge, where lots get larger, well and septic get common, and the drive to a full service hospital becomes part of the decision.
- Typical price
- About $155,000 average sold, 13 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $155,285. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 110 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 100 miles northeastDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Edgemont School District 23-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- Median sold $315,150Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 24 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hour and fifteen minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Hot Springs School District 23-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Prairie and Badlands
East of the Hills on the open prairie, where lots run larger, water is often a private well, services are thinner and the wind and the drive are the tradeoffs.
- Typical price
- About $320,000 average sold, 20 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $319,585. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 20 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ADistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- About $270,000 average sold, 19 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $270,435. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 19 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Between Belle Fourche, Spearfish
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- County
- Belle FourcheButte CountySpearfishLawrence County
- Corridor
- Belle FourcheUS-85 and SD-34SpearfishI-90
- To downtown Rapid City
- Belle FourcheAbout 55 to 60 minutesSpearfish53 min, 47.8 mi
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Belle FourcheAbout an hourSpearfish68 min, 57.0 mi
- Winter driving
- Belle FourcheOut on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing.SpearfishChinook winds off the hills are a genuine feature of winter in this corridor.
- Typical price
- Belle Fourche$275k to $375kSpearfish$400k to $600k
Belle Fourche, Spearfish
Rows marked as differing are the ones where these do not read alike. Rows without the mark sit on a quiet background because they say the same thing in every column.
| Attribute | Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Region | Northern Hills and I-90 | Northern Hills and I-90 |
| Countydiffers | Butte County | Lawrence County |
| Corridordiffers | US-85 and SD-34 | I-90 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 53 min, 47.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak. | 68 min, 57.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing. | Chinook winds off the hills are a genuine feature of winter in this corridor. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales. | $400k to $600kMedian sold $475,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 199 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges | Older stock in the middle, edge subdivisions built 1996 to 2023 |
| New constructiondiffers | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | New construction remains active on the edges of town, including areas such as Sky Ridge and other newer developments. |
| Acreagediffers | Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions. | Acreage is available around Spearfish, primarily on surrounding Lawrence County ground rather than in the city core. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Generous in town, acreage out past it | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. |
| Covenants and HOAdiffersCovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat. | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | City water and sewer are typical inside city-served areas. Acreage outside the city can use wells, septic systems or other service arrangements, so utilities should be confirmed by address. |
| Waterdiffers | Municipal water inside the limits, a private well or a district system outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer. | City water inside the Spearfish limits. Acreage outside the limits runs on a private well or a rural water district.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer. |
| Sewerdiffers | City sewer inside the limits, private septic outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer. | City sewer inside the Spearfish limits, private septic on acreage outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income. | The city studied rules in 2023 and 2024 and maintains an official short term rental page. Verify the current ordinance first. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Spearfish School District 40-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||
| Groceriesdiffers | Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart. | Full-service grocery options in town include Walmart, Safeway and Lueders Food Centers. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish. | Monument Health Spearfish Hospital and outpatient clinics are in town. |
| Recreationdiffers | The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918. | D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, Black Hills State University events, and Terry Peak and Deadwood a short drive south. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||
| Outlines on filediffers | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | 25 mapped outlines, 13 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for. | A university town with a walkable middle, growing fast enough that new construction has moved to the edges. |
| What you gaindiffers | A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town. | A downtown you can walk across, Black Hills State and Spearfish Canyon out the back door, on city water and sewer. |
| What you give updiffers | Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose. | The highest median sold price of the region's higher volume markets at $475,000 across 199 sales, and Rapid City is 53 minutes on the interstate with the Ellsworth gate 68. |
- Northern Hills and I-90Belle Fourche
Where it sits
Region
- Belle Fourche
- Northern Hills and I-90
- Spearfish
- Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Butte County
- Spearfish
- Lawrence County
Corridordiffers
- Belle Fourche
- US-85 and SD-34
- Spearfish
- I-90
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Belle Fourche
- About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Spearfish
- 53 min, 47.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Spearfish
- 68 min, 57.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Out on the acreage the question is who maintains the road in winter, and it is worth asking in writing.
- Spearfish
- Chinook winds off the hills are a genuine feature of winter in this corridor.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Belle Fourche
- $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
- Spearfish
- $400k to $600kMedian sold $475,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 199 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Belle Fourche
- Older homes in town, newer construction on the edges
- Spearfish
- Older stock in the middle, edge subdivisions built 1996 to 2023
New constructiondiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Spearfish
- New construction remains active on the edges of town, including areas such as Sky Ridge and other newer developments.
Acreagediffers
- Belle Fourche
- Larger lots and acreage become more common around the edges of Belle Fourche and in nearby rural subdivisions.
- Spearfish
- Acreage is available around Spearfish, primarily on surrounding Lawrence County ground rather than in the city core.
Typical lotdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Generous in town, acreage out past it
- Spearfish
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Belle Fourche
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Spearfish
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Spearfish
- City water and sewer are typical inside city-served areas. Acreage outside the city can use wells, septic systems or other service arrangements, so utilities should be confirmed by address.
Waterdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Municipal water inside the limits, a private well or a district system outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
- Spearfish
- City water inside the Spearfish limits. Acreage outside the limits runs on a private well or a rural water district.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
Sewerdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- City sewer inside the limits, private septic outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
- Spearfish
- City sewer inside the Spearfish limits, private septic on acreage outside them.Read off the townwide utility pattern in the guide. The service address controls, so confirm the provider before you write an offer.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- General zoning and state rules do the work in Belle Fourche. Confirm the lodging use category with city hall for the address before you count on rental income.
- Spearfish
- The city studied rules in 2023 and 2024 and maintains an official short term rental page. Verify the current ordinance first.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Spearfish
- Spearfish School District 40-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Full-service grocery options in town include Lueders Food Centers and Lynn's Dakotamart.
- Spearfish
- Full-service grocery options in town include Walmart, Safeway and Lueders Food Centers.
Healthcarediffers
- Belle Fourche
- Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. Hospital-level care is available in Spearfish.
- Spearfish
- Monument Health Spearfish Hospital and outpatient clinics are in town.
Recreationdiffers
- Belle Fourche
- The Geographic Center of the Nation monument, the Tri-State Museum, and the Black Hills Roundup rodeo every Fourth of July week since 1918.
- Spearfish
- D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, Black Hills State University events, and Terry Peak and Deadwood a short drive south.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Belle Fourche
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Spearfish
- 25 mapped outlines, 13 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Belle Fourche
- A ranching hub with a working main street, mature trees and a rodeo the whole town turns out for.
- Spearfish
- A university town with a walkable middle, growing fast enough that new construction has moved to the edges.
What you gaindiffers
- Belle Fourche
- A $300,000 median across 113 trailing twelve month sales, under Spearfish, Sturgis and Deadwood, with acreage out past town.
- Spearfish
- A downtown you can walk across, Black Hills State and Spearfish Canyon out the back door, on city water and sewer.
What you give updiffers
- Belle Fourche
- Rapid City is 55 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth about an hour, so this is a commute you pick on purpose.
- Spearfish
- The highest median sold price of the region's higher volume markets at $475,000 across 199 sales, and Rapid City is 53 minutes on the interstate with the Ellsworth gate 68.
Commute figures are driving times off peak, from the community guide each card links to. Median sold prices come from the MLS, and each figure carries its own source, window and closing count, because Sturgis, Spearfish and the northern hills report through a different MLS than Rapid City. Under five closings there is no median, and the price row says so. Five to nine closings carries a small sample note. School districts follow the official boundary for the address, and the district office is the only place to confirm an assignment. Short term rental lines are summaries. Read the guide and the current ordinance before you count on rental income.
The filters use these definitions: under $400k is the MLS sold figure for the town, a median where one is published and otherwise the average sold, comes in under $400,000; close to ellsworth is 25 minutes or less to the Ellsworth main gate; close to rapid city is 20 minutes or less to downtown Rapid City; short commute is 15 minutes or less to either downtown Rapid City or the Ellsworth gate; new construction available is the guide establishes active or limited new construction; acreage available is acreage is common or present in the guide; city water and sewer is city water and sewer across the community; smaller market is fewer than 100 closed single family sales in the trailing twelve months; more rural is acreage is common, or water and sewer are not municipal throughout; established housing is the guide classifies the housing stock as established, meaning largely pre 2000; newer housing is the guide classifies a meaningful share of the housing stock as 2000s or later.
Every row here is a townwide summary and a single parcel can read differently. Buyer due diligence should include verifying water and sewer service, school assignment, recorded covenants and HOA obligations, rental rules, legal access, insurance availability and which jurisdiction inspects and permits the work, for the exact address. Confirm with the city or county, the utility or district, the school district office, the title company and your insurer as applicable.
Last updated August 2026
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