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.
10 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.
- 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.
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
- $275k to $375kMedian sold $300,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 113 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hourDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 55 to 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- School district
- Belle Fourche School District 9-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Typical price
- $320k to $500kMedian sold $385,000. Mount Rushmore Area MLS, all residential, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 117 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About 55 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 50 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- 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
- Median sold $315,150Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 24 closed sales.
- To Ellsworth AFB
- About an hour and fifteen minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- To downtown Rapid City
- About 60 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Utility pattern
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Verify water and sewer service for the address.
- School district
- Hot Springs School District 23-2Assignment 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.
- 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 New Underwood, Buffalo Gap
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- New UnderwoodPrairie and BadlandsBuffalo GapCentral and Southern Hills
- County
- New UnderwoodPennington CountyBuffalo GapCuster County
- Jurisdiction
- New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limitsBuffalo GapIncorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.
- Corridor
- New UnderwoodI-90 exit 78Buffalo GapSD 79
- To downtown Rapid City
- New UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90Buffalo GapAbout 45 miles, roughly 56 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- New UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ABuffalo GapAbout 55 miles
New Underwood, Buffalo Gap
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 | Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Prairie and Badlands | Central and Southern Hills |
| Countydiffers | Pennington County | Custer County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits | Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 exit 78 | SD 79 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. | About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | 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. | About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | 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. | Highway 79 is state maintained and is the connection to Hot Springs and Rapid City. Off it, this is open prairie with blowing snow. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | 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. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | Older in-town stock with scattered newer building. | An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant. |
| New constructiondiffers | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | None underway |
| Acreage | Acreage parcels are common here | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end. | A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them. |
| 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 | 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. | Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells. |
| Sewerdiffers | City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County. | 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. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | 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. | This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Hot Springs School District 23-2, despite the town being in Custer CountyAssignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||
| Groceriesdiffers | BJ's Country Store at the exit 78 interchange for fuel and convenience. Full grocery shopping is Rapid City, about 18 miles west. | Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen. |
| Healthcarediffers | 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. | 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. |
| Recreationdiffers | The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction. | Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city. | A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland. |
| What you gaindiffers | The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation. | 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. |
| What you give updiffers | 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. | No school, no store and no services in town, an aging water system with an open compliance item, and an undocumented sewer situation. |
- Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
- Central and Southern HillsBuffalo Gap
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- New Underwood
- Prairie and Badlands
- Buffalo Gap
- Central and Southern Hills
Countydiffers
- New Underwood
- Pennington County
- Buffalo Gap
- Custer County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- New Underwood
- Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits
- Buffalo Gap
- Incorporated town of Buffalo Gap, with Custer County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers
- New Underwood
- I-90 exit 78
- Buffalo Gap
- SD 79
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- New Underwood
- About 18 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
- Buffalo Gap
- About 45 miles, roughly 56 minutesDriving time and distance, off peak.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- About 55 milesDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Winter drivingdiffers
- 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.
- 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.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- 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.
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- New Underwood
- Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
- Buffalo Gap
- An 1885 to 1939 historic core with an aging housing stock and about a fifth of units vacant.
New constructiondiffers
- New Underwood
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Buffalo Gap
- None underway
Acreage
- New Underwood
- Acreage parcels are common here
- Buffalo Gap
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- New Underwood
- Standard town lots on the grid, with ranch and acreage ground starting where the limits end.
- Buffalo Gap
- A handful of historic townsite lots, with grassland and ranch ground around them.
Covenants and HOA
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- New Underwood
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
- Buffalo Gap
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility pattern
- New Underwood
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Buffalo Gap
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
Waterdiffers
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- Town of Buffalo Gap municipal water from a single well, serving about 93 connections. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- New Underwood
- City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
- 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.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- This is hunting and grassland country rather than a tourism corridor. Demand is seasonal and specific.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- New Underwood
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- 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.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- 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.
- Buffalo Gap
- Nothing full service in town. Hot Springs, about 14 miles south, is where errands happen.
Healthcarediffers
- 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.
- 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.
Recreationdiffers
- New Underwood
- The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
- Buffalo Gap
- Buffalo Gap National Grassland, hunting, rock collecting and OHV country, with the Cheyenne River nearby.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- New Underwood
- A prairie town with its own K through 12 campus and its own interstate exit, 18 miles from the city.
- Buffalo Gap
- A nearly intact turn-of-the-century western streetscape on the National Register, mostly quiet, at the gate to the grassland.
What you gaindiffers
- New Underwood
- The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
- 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.
What you give updiffers
- 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.
- 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.
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.