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
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
- $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
- $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
- $400k to $600kMedian sold $475,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 199 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- 68 min, 57.0 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- 53 min, 47.8 miDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- 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.
- School district
- Spearfish School District 40-2Assignment 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.
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 $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 Buffalo Gap, Lead and Deadwood
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- Buffalo GapCentral and Southern HillsLead and DeadwoodNorthern Hills and I-90
- County
- Buffalo GapCuster CountyLead and DeadwoodLawrence County
- Jurisdiction
- Buffalo GapIncorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.Lead and DeadwoodNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- Corridor
- Buffalo GapSD 79Lead and DeadwoodUS-385 and US-14A
- To downtown Rapid City
- Buffalo GapAbout 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesLead and DeadwoodAbout 50 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Buffalo GapAbout 55 milesLead and DeadwoodAbout 55 minutes
Buffalo Gap, Lead and Deadwood
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Central and Southern Hills | Northern Hills and I-90 |
| Countydiffers | Custer County | Lawrence County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. |
| Corridordiffers | SD 79 | US-385 and US-14A |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 50 minutesDriving 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 55 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. | Lead averages 183.9 inches of snow a year, so plowing, driveway grade and which way it faces are part of the budget. |
| 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. | $320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales. |
| Housing agediffers | An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant. | Historic stock, plus Powder House Pass as the newest product up here |
| New constructiondiffers | None underway | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage parcels are common here | Mountain acreage exists outside the denser town centers, with access, well, septic and winter-maintenance considerations varying by property. |
| Typical lotdiffers | A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them. | 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. | Few plats here carry recorded covenants | Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others |
| Utilities and rules | ||
| Utility patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address. |
| Waterdiffers | Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address. |
| 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. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific. | Three jurisdictions within a few miles give three different answers. This is where guessing gets expensive. |
| 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. | Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment 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. | Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address. |
| 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. | Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital and clinic provide hospital-level and outpatient care in the area. |
| Recreationdiffers | Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby. | Terry Peak, a 7,100 foot summit with 1,100 feet of vertical and 30 trails, plus Deadwood gaming and the historic district. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||
| Outlines on filediffers | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. | 55 mapped outlines, 0 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. |
| 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. | High elevation historic streets, with Terry Peak, the Mickelson Trail and the Powder House Pass covenants and Community Improvement District just south of Lead. |
| 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. | Elevation, Terry Peak measured in minutes, the Mickelson Trail and historic streets you cannot build a copy of. |
| 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. | Lead averages 183.9 inches of snow a year, so snow removal and vehicle choice are line items, and three jurisdictions inside a few miles answer rental questions differently. |
- Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Central and Southern Hills
- Lead and Deadwood
- Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Custer County
- Lead and Deadwood
- Lawrence 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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
Corridordiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- SD 79
- Lead and Deadwood
- US-385 and US-14A
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Lead and Deadwood
- About 50 minutesDriving 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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- About 55 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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Lead averages 183.9 inches of snow a year, so plowing, driveway grade and which way it faces are part of the budget.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- $320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales.
Housing agediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Historic stock, plus Powder House Pass as the newest product up here
New constructiondiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- None underway
- Lead and Deadwood
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Lead and Deadwood
- Mountain acreage exists outside the denser town centers, with access, well, septic and winter-maintenance considerations varying by property.
Typical lotdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.
- Lead and Deadwood
- 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.- Buffalo Gap
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Lead and Deadwood
- Recorded covenants on some plats, none on others
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Lead and Deadwood
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
Waterdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the provider for the address.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify the service for the address.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Three jurisdictions within a few miles give three different answers. This is where guessing gets expensive.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment 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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital and clinic provide hospital-level and outpatient care in the area.
Recreationdiffers
- Buffalo Gap
- Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Terry Peak, a 7,100 foot summit with 1,100 feet of vertical and 30 trails, plus Deadwood gaming and the historic district.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Buffalo Gap
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
- Lead and Deadwood
- 55 mapped outlines, 0 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- High elevation historic streets, with Terry Peak, the Mickelson Trail and the Powder House Pass covenants and Community Improvement District just south of Lead.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Elevation, Terry Peak measured in minutes, the Mickelson Trail and historic streets you cannot build a copy of.
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.
- Lead and Deadwood
- Lead averages 183.9 inches of snow a year, so snow removal and vehicle choice are line items, and three jurisdictions inside a few miles answer rental questions differently.
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.
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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.