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.
5 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
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
- $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
- About $650,000 average sold, 28 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $648,229. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 28 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 35 minutes, north through Rapid City to I-90Driving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 26 min, 18.6 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- About $618,000 average sold, but only 9 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $618,449. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 9 closed sales, small sample.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment 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.
Between Buffalo Gap, Keystone
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- County
- Buffalo GapCuster CountyKeystonePennington County
- Jurisdiction
- Buffalo GapIncorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.KeystoneIncorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.
- Corridor
- Buffalo GapSD 79KeystoneUS 16A
- To downtown Rapid City
- Buffalo GapAbout 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesKeystoneAbout 25 minutes northeast
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Buffalo GapAbout 55 milesKeystoneAbout 40 minutes
- Winter driving
- Buffalo GapHighway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow.KeystoneBlack Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.
Buffalo Gap, Keystone
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 HillsBuffalo Gap | Central and Southern HillsKeystone |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Region | Central and Southern Hills | Central and Southern Hills |
| Countydiffers | Custer County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits. | Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides. |
| Corridordiffers | SD 79 | US 16A |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow. | Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way. | About $618,000 average sold, but only 9 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $618,449. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 9 closed sales, small sample. |
| Housing agediffers | An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant. | An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins. |
| New constructiondiffers | None underway | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage parcels are common here | Some acreage, mostly platted town lots |
| Typical lotdiffers | A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them. | Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits. |
| Covenants and HOACovenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel. | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | Few plats here carry recorded covenants |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility pattern | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it |
| Waterdiffers | Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells. | Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic. | Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific. | A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment 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 | Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen. | Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast. |
| Healthcarediffers | Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away. | No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital. |
| Recreationdiffers | Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby. | Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland. | An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors. |
| What you gaindiffers | Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from. | Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property. |
| What you give updiffers | No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation. | A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter. |
- Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap
- Central and Southern HillsKeystone
Where it sits
Region
- Buffalo Gap
- Central and Southern Hills
- Keystone
- Central and Southern Hills
Countydiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Custer County
- Keystone
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Buffalo Gap
- Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.
- Keystone
- Incorporated town of Keystone, with unincorporated Pennington County on the surrounding hillsides.
Corridordiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- SD 79
- Keystone
- US 16A
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Keystone
- About 25 minutes northeastDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Keystone
- About 40 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow.
- Keystone
- Black Hills elevation on canyon roads, and a town that empties out for the season. Iron Mountain Road and the scenic routes are not winter commuting roads.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- One single family sale shows in the Black Hills MLS over 24 months, at $80,000. One closing is a sample of one rather than a price level, so read it that way.
- Keystone
- About $618,000 average sold, but only 9 sales over 24 monthsAverage sold $618,449. Black Hills MLS, single family, 24 months through August 2026, as of August 2026. 9 closed sales, small sample.
Housing agediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.
- Keystone
- An 1883 mining town, so genuinely old stock alongside newer builds and cabins.
New constructiondiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- None underway
- Keystone
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Keystone
- Some acreage, mostly platted town lots
Typical lotdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.
- Keystone
- Small and steep in town, larger on the surrounding hillsides outside the limits.
Covenants and HOA
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Buffalo Gap
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Keystone
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility pattern
- Buffalo Gap
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Keystone
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Waterdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.
- Keystone
- Town of Keystone municipal water inside the limits, drawn from town wells, with no violations on its current record. Parcels outside the town limits are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Not documented in the public record. There is no municipal wastewater project or discharge permit on file that I could find. Confirm with the town finance officer before assuming either town sewer or septic.
- Keystone
- Confirm with the town before you rely on it. The town operates public works, but I have not been able to verify from the public record whether it runs a collection system or which parcels it reaches. Outside the limits, expect private septic.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.
- Keystone
- A 2 percent municipal lodging tax applies to transient stays. Whether a separate short term rental ordinance exists is not clear from the public record, so confirm with the town in writing.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Keystone
- Hill City School District 51-2Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen.
- Keystone
- Nothing full service in town. Hill City is the closest small grocery and Rapid City is the real shopping, about 25 minutes northeast.
Healthcarediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Fall River Health Services in Hot Springs, a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 24 hour emergency department and a rural health clinic, about 18 minutes away.
- Keystone
- No clinic in town. Monument Health Custer Hospital has a 24 hour emergency department, and Rapid City has the larger hospital.
Recreationdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.
- Keystone
- Mount Rushmore is past the town boundary, the 1880 Train runs from the Winter Street depot, and Custer State Park and the Norbeck Scenic Byway are close.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland.
- Keystone
- An 1883 mining camp turned tourism town at the gateway to Mount Rushmore, 240 residents and millions of visitors.
What you gaindiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Eighteen minutes from the hospital in Hot Springs, with 600,000 acres of grassland out the door and one MLS closing in two years to price from.
- Keystone
- Nightly rental demand runs about as high as anywhere in the Black Hills, if the rules and the covenants check out for the specific property.
What you give updiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation.
- Keystone
- A seasonal town with no school, no grocery and no clinic, and a housing stock where half the doors are dark in winter.
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
Want to talk through the tradeoffs?
Two towns can look identical in a table and feel nothing alike on a Tuesday night in February. Call or text and tell me which rows above are the ones you cannot live with, and we can work the list down from there.
Considering a home here?
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.