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.
0 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
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Between Custer, Newell
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 HillsNewellNorthern Hills and I-90
- County
- CusterCuster CountyNewellButte County
- Jurisdiction
- CusterNot recorded townwide in this guide. The address decides whether it is city or county ground.NewellIncorporated municipality of Newell, with Butte County outside the limits.
- Corridor
- CusterUS-16NewellUS 212 and SD 79
- To downtown Rapid City
- CusterAbout 50 to 60 minutesNewellAbout 54 miles, roughly 70 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- CusterAbout an hour and ten minutesNewellAbout 60 miles
Custer, Newell
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-90Newell | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Central and Southern Hills | Northern Hills and I-90 |
| Countydiffers | Custer County | Butte 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 municipality of Newell, with Butte County outside the limits. |
| Corridordiffers | US-16 | US 212 and SD 79 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 54 miles, roughly 70 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 60 milesDistance 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. | US 212 and SD 79 are state maintained, and the state rebuilt the Nisland to Newell stretch and the south junction in 2025. Off the highway it is open country and wind moves snow. |
| 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. | No figure published. Newell is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so any count from that feed is a floor rather than this town's price level. |
| Housing agediffers | Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges. | A 1910 townsite, so genuinely old in-town stock with newer building scattered around it. |
| 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. | Small townsite lots, then irrigated project acreage, then rangeland, in that order as you drive out. |
| 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. | Town of Newell municipal water inside the limits, from groundwater, serving about 378 connections. Rural properties are on the Butte-Meade Sanitary Water District or on private wells. Irrigation water from the Belle Fourche Irrigation District is an entirely separate thing from domestic water. |
| 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. | Municipal sewer inside the limits, billed monthly alongside water. Rural parcels are on private septic. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line. | Newell is an agricultural town rather than a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is hunting season, Rally week and ag events, not year-round visitors. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Newell School District 09-2Assignment 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. | A grocery store and a hardware store in town, with Belle Fourche about 25 miles for anything larger. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town. | No hospital or clinic in Newell. Sturgis is about 26 miles, Spearfish about 37, and Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche. |
| Recreationdiffers | Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup. | A nine-hole golf course, the Newell Museum, the Belle Fourche Reservoir north of town, and hunting 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 federal reclamation townsite from 1910 at the center of a 57,000 acre irrigation project, with a sale barn and its own school. |
| 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. | A complete small town with its own K through 12 school and irrigated ground around it, at prices the Hills corridor cannot touch. |
| 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. | Seventy minutes to Rapid City, 26 miles to a hospital, and an irrigation district assessment that attaches to the land as a lien. |
- Northern Hills and I-90Newell
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Custer
- Central and Southern Hills
- Newell
- Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers
- Custer
- Custer County
- Newell
- Butte 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.
- Newell
- Incorporated municipality of Newell, with Butte County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers
- Custer
- US-16
- Newell
- US 212 and SD 79
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Custer
- About 50 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Newell
- About 54 miles, roughly 70 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Custer
- About an hour and ten minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Newell
- About 60 milesDistance 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.
- Newell
- US 212 and SD 79 are state maintained, and the state rebuilt the Nisland to Newell stretch and the south junction in 2025. Off the highway it is open country and wind moves snow.
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.
- Newell
- No figure published. Newell is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so any count from that feed is a floor rather than this town's price level.
Housing agediffers
- Custer
- Mixed ages. Older homes near the core, newer construction toward the edges.
- Newell
- A 1910 townsite, so genuinely old in-town stock with newer building scattered around it.
New constructiondiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Check current permits with the city or county.
- Newell
- 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.
- Newell
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Custer
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. The recorded plat carries the lot dimensions.
- Newell
- Small townsite lots, then irrigated project acreage, then rangeland, in that order as you drive out.
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.
- Newell
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility pattern
- Custer
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Newell
- 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.
- Newell
- Town of Newell municipal water inside the limits, from groundwater, serving about 378 connections. Rural properties are on the Butte-Meade Sanitary Water District or on private wells. Irrigation water from the Belle Fourche Irrigation District is an entirely separate thing from domestic water.
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.
- Newell
- Municipal sewer inside the limits, billed monthly alongside water. Rural parcels are on private septic.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Custer
- Grandfathered permits are non transferable and expire when the property sells, and the rules flip at the city line.
- Newell
- Newell is an agricultural town rather than a tourism town. Short-term rental demand here is hunting season, Rally week and ag events, not year-round visitors.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Custer
- Custer School District 16-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Newell
- Newell School District 09-2Assignment 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.
- Newell
- A grocery store and a hardware store in town, with Belle Fourche about 25 miles for anything larger.
Healthcarediffers
- Custer
- Monument Health Custer Hospital and clinic are in town.
- Newell
- No hospital or clinic in Newell. Sturgis is about 26 miles, Spearfish about 37, and Monument Health has a clinic in Belle Fourche.
Recreationdiffers
- Custer
- Custer State Park at the door, including Sylvan Lake, the Needles Highway, the wildlife loop and the September buffalo roundup.
- Newell
- A nine-hole golf course, the Newell Museum, the Belle Fourche Reservoir north of town, and hunting 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.
- Newell
- A federal reclamation townsite from 1910 at the center of a 57,000 acre irrigation project, with a sale barn and its own school.
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.
- Newell
- A complete small town with its own K through 12 school and irrigated ground around it, at prices the Hills corridor cannot touch.
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.
- Newell
- Seventy minutes to Rapid City, 26 miles to a hospital, and an irrigation district assessment that attaches to the land as a lien.
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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