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.
6 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
- Unincorporated, so closings report under Rapid City and Meade County rather than a Black Hawk median. Lot size and outbuildings move the price more than the street does.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 30 minutes, the same I-90 run as Summerset just northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 12 to 15 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Rapid City Area Schools 51-4 for most addressesAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- School district
- Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- No published median exists for the community. Closed sales on the specific street are the only figure worth quoting here.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 15 minutes northDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 6 miles northwestDistance 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
- Split between Douglas 51-1 and Rapid City Area 51-4. Address specific.Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- 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.
- Typical price
- About $350,000 average sold, 274 sales over 12 monthsAverage sold $349,971. Black Hills MLS, single family, 12 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 274 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 22 min, 10.4 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 11 min, 5.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Utility service varies by address. Rapid Valley Sanitary District serves portions of the area, while properties outside district service may use private wells and septic systems.
- School district
- Mostly Rapid City Area School District 51-4, with portions in Douglas 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- Builder inventory sets the level here, and the MLS publishes no Summerset median on its own.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 30 min, 19.2 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 15 min, 10.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Sewer collection is provided by the City of Summerset. Water service varies by address and can include Black Hawk Water User District or Diamond D Water in Sun Valley.
- School district
- Meade 46-1 and Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, split within the cityAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Between Box Elder, Hill City
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- Box ElderRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorHill CityCentral and Southern Hills
- Jurisdiction
- Box ElderCity of Box ElderHill CityNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- Corridor
- Box ElderI-90Hill CityUS-16
- To downtown Rapid City
- Box Elder19 min, 10.9 miHill CityAbout 30 to 35 minutes on US-16
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Box Elder9 min, 2.3 miHill CityAbout 45 minutes
- Winter driving
- Box ElderI-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm.Hill CityUS-16 is state maintained. The forest roads off it climb, and elevation adds snow to whatever falls in town.
Box Elder, Hill City
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 | Central and Southern HillsHill City | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Central and Southern Hills |
| County | Pennington County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | City of Box Elder | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 | US-16 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 30 to 35 minutes on US-16Driving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 45 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | I-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm. | US-16 is state maintained. The forest roads off it climb, and elevation adds snow to whatever falls in town. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales. | Median sold $519,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement | Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. |
| New constructiondiffers | Active, with subdivisions still building | Limited infill and small-scale new construction occur around Hill City rather than large production neighborhoods. |
| Typical lotdiffers | Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | City water and sewer inside the limits | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address. |
| Waterdiffers | City of Box Elder municipal | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address. |
| Sewerdiffers | City of Box Elder municipal | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up. | Existing short term rental rights in residential zones do not transfer when a property sells. That is the trap. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||
| Groceriesdiffers | Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town. | Krull's Market is a full-service grocery store in town. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City. | Monument Health has a clinic in Hill City. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, roughly 30 to 35 minutes away in clear conditions. |
| Recreationdiffers | The Liberty Center, the city park and ballfield network, and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum are the in-town recreation. The Badlands are a day trip, not your neighborhood park. | The 1880 Train departs downtown, Crazy Horse Memorial is about 12 miles away, and Stone Faces Winery and Naked Winery are close. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||
| Outlines on filediffers | 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned. | A small mountain main street that triples every summer and empties out by October, with the 1880 Train leaving from downtown. |
| What you gaindiffers | The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline. | Main Street in the middle of the central hills, the Mickelson Trail through town, Sylvan Lake and Crazy Horse a short drive, and 30 to 35 minutes to Rapid City on US-16. |
| What you give updiffers | Comparable sales run thin inside brand new subdivisions and builder incentives move the effective price without moving the list price. I-90 fills at shift change, and the flight line is close enough that you hear it. | Rental rights do not survive a sale, and only 13 homes closed here in twelve months, so pricing rests on a small sample. |
- Central and Southern HillsHill City
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Box Elder
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Hill City
- Central and Southern Hills
County
- Box Elder
- Pennington County
- Hill City
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder
- Hill City
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridordiffers
- Box Elder
- I-90
- Hill City
- US-16
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Box Elder
- 19 min, 10.9 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Hill City
- About 30 to 35 minutes on US-16Driving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Box Elder
- 9 min, 2.3 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Hill City
- About 45 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Box Elder
- I-90 is state maintained and the city clears the newer plats. Box Elder publishes no plow priority map, so ask a neighbor how the street clears after a real storm.
- Hill City
- US-16 is state maintained. The forest roads off it climb, and elevation adds snow to whatever falls in town.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Box Elder
- $340k to $400kMedian sold $367,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 235 closed sales.
- Hill City
- Median sold $519,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 13 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Box Elder
- Heavily new construction since the B-21 announcement
- Hill City
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
New constructiondiffers
- Box Elder
- Active, with subdivisions still building
- Hill City
- Limited infill and small-scale new construction occur around Hill City rather than large production neighborhoods.
Typical lotdiffers
- Box Elder
- Small city lots, about 0.15 to 0.18 acres in the newer plats
- Hill City
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Box Elder
- City water and sewer inside the limits
- Hill City
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
Waterdiffers
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Hill City
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address.
Sewerdiffers
- Box Elder
- City of Box Elder municipal
- Hill City
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Box Elder
- A verify first town for rental plans, with one specific misconception the guide clears up.
- Hill City
- Existing short term rental rights in residential zones do not transfer when a property sells. That is the trap.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Box Elder
- Douglas School District 51-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Hill City
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Box Elder
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- Hill City
- Krull's Market is a full-service grocery store in town.
Healthcarediffers
- Box Elder
- Monument Health Box Elder Clinic provides primary and urgent care in town. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City.
- Hill City
- Monument Health has a clinic in Hill City. Hospital-level care is in Rapid City, roughly 30 to 35 minutes away in clear conditions.
Recreationdiffers
- Box Elder
- The Liberty Center, the city park and ballfield network, and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum are the in-town recreation. The Badlands are a day trip, not your neighborhood park.
- Hill City
- The 1880 Train departs downtown, Crazy Horse Memorial is about 12 miles away, and Stone Faces Winery and Naked Winery are close.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Box Elder
- 16 mapped outlines, 3 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Hill City
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Box Elder
- A young city building its first downtown at Liberty Plaza on 110 acres, with roughly 800 residential units planned.
- Hill City
- A small mountain main street that triples every summer and empties out by October, with the 1880 Train leaving from downtown.
What you gaindiffers
- Box Elder
- The Ellsworth main gate is in town, 9 minutes from most addresses, on city water and sewer, with the region's newest housing pipeline.
- Hill City
- Main Street in the middle of the central hills, the Mickelson Trail through town, Sylvan Lake and Crazy Horse a short drive, and 30 to 35 minutes to Rapid City on US-16.
What you give updiffers
- Box Elder
- Comparable sales run thin inside brand new subdivisions and builder incentives move the effective price without moving the list price. I-90 fills at shift change, and the flight line is close enough that you hear it.
- Hill City
- Rental rights do not survive a sale, and only 13 homes closed here in twelve months, so pricing rests on a small sample.
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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Send the address and we can talk it through. The details that change from one property to the next are jurisdiction, water and sewer, the school the district assigns, covenants, road maintenance and the rest of what never shows up on a listing.