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 New Underwood, St. Onge
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 BadlandsSt. OngeNorthern Hills and I-90
- County
- New UnderwoodPennington CountySt. OngeLawrence County
- Jurisdiction
- New UnderwoodIncorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limitsSt. OngeUnincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.
- Corridor
- New UnderwoodI-90 exit 78St. OngeSD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood
- To downtown Rapid City
- New UnderwoodAbout 18 miles west on I-90St. OngeAbout 44 miles, roughly 48 minutes
- To Ellsworth AFB
- New UnderwoodAbout 11 miles, exit 78 to the main gate at exit 67ASt. OngeAbout 45 miles
New Underwood, St. Onge
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 | Northern Hills and I-90St. Onge |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Prairie and Badlands | Northern Hills and I-90 |
| Countydiffers | Pennington County | Lawrence County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | Incorporated city of New Underwood, with Pennington County outside the limits | Unincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 exit 78 | SD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood |
| 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 44 miles, roughly 48 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 45 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 34 is state maintained and connects three directions. County and private roads off it are a different conversation. |
| 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. | No figure published. St. Onge is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so a zero here would be a gap in the data rather than a fact about the market. |
| Housing agediffers | Older in-town stock with scattered newer building. | An 1891 townsite with genuinely old buildings, surrounded by ranch and acreage property of every era. |
| New construction | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| 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. | Small townsite lots, with acreage 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 patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | Mostly private well and septic |
| 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. | The Saint Onge Sewer and Water Company serves about 78 connections around the townsite, with a clean compliance record. Parcels outside that system are on private wells. There is no rural water district covering this area. |
| Sewerdiffers | City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County. | The water company's name implies sewer service, but I have not been able to verify from the public record which parcels it reaches. Assume private septic outside the townsite and confirm the rest before closing. |
| 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. | Unincorporated Lawrence County, so no municipal ordinance applies. Note that unincorporated Lawrence County declined to require a vacation home rental permit, so there is no county permit to obtain either. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Spearfish 40-2 at the townsite, with Belle Fourche 09-1 to the north and Meade 46-1 to the east. Parcel specific.Assignment 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 in town. Spearfish is eleven miles southeast and Belle Fourche thirteen northwest. |
| 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. | Monument Health Spearfish Hospital, a 35 bed facility with a 24 hour emergency department, about 18 minutes away. |
| Recreationdiffers | The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction. | Creek bottoms, hay ground and hunting country, with Spearfish Canyon and the northern Hills half an hour away. |
| 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. | An 1891 French-Canadian railroad townsite that is now a cattle auction crossroads and an acreage corridor. |
| What you gaindiffers | The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation. | The cheapest ground in the northern Hills that still puts you eleven miles from a hospital and sixteen from three towns. |
| 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. | A three-way school district split you have to verify per parcel, and no services of any kind in town. |
- Prairie and BadlandsNew Underwood
- Northern Hills and I-90St. Onge
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- New Underwood
- Prairie and Badlands
- St. Onge
- Northern Hills and I-90
Countydiffers
- New Underwood
- Pennington County
- St. Onge
- Lawrence 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
- St. Onge
- Unincorporated. No town government. Lawrence County zones the parcels and the Sheriff patrols them.
Corridordiffers
- New Underwood
- I-90 exit 78
- St. Onge
- SD 34, with I-90 seven miles southeast at Whitewood
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.
- St. Onge
- About 44 miles, roughly 48 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.
- St. Onge
- About 45 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.
- St. Onge
- Highway 34 is state maintained and connects three directions. County and private roads off it are a different conversation.
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.
- St. Onge
- No figure published. St. Onge is Mount Rushmore Area MLS territory and the current feed covers only the Black Hills MLS, so a zero here would be a gap in the data rather than a fact about the market.
Housing agediffers
- New Underwood
- Older in-town stock with scattered newer building.
- St. Onge
- An 1891 townsite with genuinely old buildings, surrounded by ranch and acreage property of every era.
New construction
- New Underwood
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- St. Onge
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreage
- New Underwood
- Acreage parcels are common here
- St. Onge
- 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.
- St. Onge
- Small townsite lots, with acreage 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
- St. Onge
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- New Underwood
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- St. Onge
- Mostly private well and septic
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.
- St. Onge
- The Saint Onge Sewer and Water Company serves about 78 connections around the townsite, with a clean compliance record. Parcels outside that system are on private wells. There is no rural water district covering this area.
Sewerdiffers
- New Underwood
- City sewer inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private septic permitted by Pennington County.
- St. Onge
- The water company's name implies sewer service, but I have not been able to verify from the public record which parcels it reaches. Assume private septic outside the townsite and confirm the rest before closing.
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.
- St. Onge
- Unincorporated Lawrence County, so no municipal ordinance applies. Note that unincorporated Lawrence County declined to require a vacation home rental permit, so there is no county permit to obtain either.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- New Underwood
- New Underwood School District 51-3Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- St. Onge
- Spearfish 40-2 at the townsite, with Belle Fourche 09-1 to the north and Meade 46-1 to the east. Parcel specific.Assignment 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.
- St. Onge
- Nothing in town. Spearfish is eleven miles southeast and Belle Fourche thirteen northwest.
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.
- St. Onge
- Monument Health Spearfish Hospital, a 35 bed facility with a 24 hour emergency department, about 18 minutes away.
Recreationdiffers
- New Underwood
- The municipal pool, with a donor-funded free swim program, and open prairie in every direction.
- St. Onge
- Creek bottoms, hay ground and hunting country, with Spearfish Canyon and the northern Hills half an hour away.
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.
- St. Onge
- An 1891 French-Canadian railroad townsite that is now a cattle auction crossroads and an acreage corridor.
What you gaindiffers
- New Underwood
- The only town this close to Ellsworth that still educates its own kids from kindergarten through graduation.
- St. Onge
- The cheapest ground in the northern Hills that still puts you eleven miles from a hospital and sixteen from three towns.
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.
- St. Onge
- A three-way school district split you have to verify per parcel, and no services of any kind in town.
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.