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 Custer, New Underwood
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- CusterCentral and Southern HillsNew UnderwoodPrairie and Badlands
- County
- CusterCuster CountyNew UnderwoodPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- CusterNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits
- Corridor
- CusterUS-16New UnderwoodI-90 exit 78
- To downtown Rapid City
- CusterAbout 50 to 60 minutesNew UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90
- To Ellsworth AFB
- CusterAbout an hour and ten minutesNew UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67A
Custer, New Underwood
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 | Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Central and Southern Hills | Prairie and Badlands |
| Countydiffers | Custer County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground. | Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits |
| Corridordiffers | US-16 | I-90 exit 78 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | 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. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours. | I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. | Older in-town stock with scattered newer building. |
| New constructiondiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county. | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties. | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions. | Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end. |
| 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. | 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 | 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 of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells. |
| 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 limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line. | New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment 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. | BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town. | No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City. |
| Recreationdiffers | Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup. | The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits. | A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city. |
| What you gaindiffers | You are inside the Hills with real acreage, Custer State Park at the door, and a new hospital in a town of about 1,900. | The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation. |
| What you give updiffers | Rapid City is 50 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth over an hour, grandfathered rental permits expire when a property sells, and outside the city limits there are no county building codes. | You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question. |
- Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Custer
- Central and Southern Hills
- New Underwood
- Prairie and Badlands
Countydiffers
- Custer
- Custer County
- New Underwood
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.
- New Underwood
- Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits
Corridordiffers
- Custer
- US-16
- New Underwood
- I-90 exit 78
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Custer
- About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- New Underwood
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Custer
- About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- New Underwood
- 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.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Custer
- Winter roads are a genuine planning factor at this distance, and on acreage you need to know who maintains yours.
- New Underwood
- I-90 is the commute and it is state maintained. Everything off the interstate is county and city plowing on its own schedule, and this is open prairie, so wind moves snow back onto the road.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Custer
- Median sold $627,000Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 7 closed sales, small sample.
- New Underwood
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- Custer
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
- New Underwood
- Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
New constructiondiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county.
- New Underwood
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Custer
- Acreage is common outside the city core, with wells and septic systems typical on many rural properties.
- New Underwood
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
- New Underwood
- Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- New Underwood
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility pattern
- Custer
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- New Underwood
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Waterdiffers
- Custer
- 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.
- New Underwood
- City of New Underwood water inside the limits, drawn from two Madison Aquifer wells. Outside the limits, parcels are on small water associations or private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- Custer
- 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.
- New Underwood
- City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Custer
- Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line.
- New Underwood
- New Underwood is a highway town rather than a tourism town, and no short-term rental ordinance surfaced in the public record. Confirm with the city before you count on rental income.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Custer
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- New Underwood
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Custer
- Lynn's Dakotamart is a full-service grocery store in town.
- New Underwood
- BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west.
Healthcarediffers
- Custer
- Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town.
- New Underwood
- No clinic in town. The Monument Health Rapid Valley Clinic on Elderberry Boulevard has walk-in urgent care seven days a week, and the hospital is in Rapid City.
Recreationdiffers
- Custer
- Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup.
- New Underwood
- The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Custer
- A county seat at a park entrance, with a replacement Monument Health hospital and acreage starting just past the city limits.
- New Underwood
- A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city.
What you gaindiffers
- Custer
- You are inside the Hills with real acreage, Custer State Park at the door, and a new hospital in a town of about 1,900.
- New Underwood
- The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
What you give updiffers
- Custer
- Rapid City is 50 to 60 minutes and Ellsworth over an hour, grandfathered rental permits expire when a property sells, and outside the city limits there are no county building codes.
- New Underwood
- You give up the grocery store, the clinic and the hardware store, and you inherit a small municipal water system with a publicly acknowledged supply question.
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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