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 Piedmont, Wall
The rows below are the ones where these do not read the same. Ordered as the table runs, not by importance.
- Region
- PiedmontRapid City and the Ellsworth corridorWallPrairie and Badlands
- County
- PiedmontMeade CountyWallPennington County
- Jurisdiction
- PiedmontCity of PiedmontWallIncorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
- Corridor
- PiedmontI-90WallI-90 exits 109 and 110
- To downtown Rapid City
- PiedmontAbout 26 minutes from the Prairie Haven side, longer from the upper platsWallAbout 50 miles west on I-90
- To Ellsworth AFB
- Piedmont36 min from the Prairie Haven side, closer to 51 from the plats highest up the foothillsWallAbout 43 miles west
Piedmont, Wall
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 BadlandsWall | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | ||
| Regiondiffers | Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor | Prairie and Badlands |
| Countydiffers | Meade County | Pennington County |
| JurisdictiondiffersCity versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work. | City of Piedmont | Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits. |
| Corridordiffers | I-90 | I-90 exits 109 and 110 |
| To downtown Rapid Citydiffers | About 26 minutes from the Prairie Haven side, longer from the upper platsDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| To Ellsworth AFBdiffers | 36 min from the Prairie Haven side, closer to 51 from the plats highest up the foothillsDriving time and distance, off peak. | About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel. |
| Winter drivingdiffers | Driveway grade is the first thing to look at out here, then water, then where spring melt goes. | I-90 is the lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter. |
| Housing and lots | ||
| Typical pricediffers | $375k to $575kMedian sold $425,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 127 closed sales. | 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. |
| Housing agediffers | Older ranch homes and newer custom builds, sometimes on the same road | Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property. |
| New construction | Limited, mostly infill and small projects | Limited, mostly infill and small projects |
| Acreagediffers | Acreage is a major part of the Piedmont-area market, particularly on surrounding unincorporated Meade County ground. | Acreage parcels are common here |
| Typical lotdiffers | Foothills lots that buy elevation, pine and space | Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale. |
| 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 patterndiffers | Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it | City water and sewer inside the limits |
| Waterdiffers | City of Piedmont municipal, supplemented by bulk water from Black Hawk Water User District | Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on 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. | Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels. |
| Short term rentalsdiffers | A research before you count on it town. The city publishes very little and the county next door publishes less. | This is genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market. |
| Schools | ||
| School districtdiffers | Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. | Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district. |
| Daily errands | ||
| Groceriesdiffers | Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address. | The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West. |
| Healthcarediffers | Monument Health Rapid City Hospital | The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west. |
| Recreationdiffers | Foothills trailheads sit within minutes of town, and the Petrified Forest of the Black Hills is seasonal. | Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena. |
| Mapped subdivisions | ||
| Outlines on filediffers | 21 mapped outlines, 17 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls. | No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet. |
| The trade | ||
| Housing and patterndiffers | Where the prairie folds up into the foothills, with a lot of my current listing inventory on these roads. | A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands. |
| What you gaindiffers | Foothills lots with elevation and pine, in Meade 46-1, with I-90 at the door and downtown Rapid City about 26 minutes south from the Prairie Haven side. | Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices. |
| What you give updiffers | The city publishes very little, so rental plans, utilities and legal access get answered address by address, and a steep driveway is a winter decision. | Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season. |
- Prairie and BadlandsWall
Where it sits
Regiondiffers
- Piedmont
- Rapid City and the Ellsworth corridor
- Wall
- Prairie and Badlands
Countydiffers
- Piedmont
- Meade County
- Wall
- Pennington County
Jurisdictiondiffers
City versus county decides who provides service and who inspects the work.- Piedmont
- City of Piedmont
- Wall
- Incorporated town of Wall, with Pennington County outside the limits.
Corridordiffers
- Piedmont
- I-90
- Wall
- I-90 exits 109 and 110
To downtown Rapid Citydiffers
- Piedmont
- About 26 minutes from the Prairie Haven side, longer from the upper platsDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Wall
- About 50 miles west on I-90Distance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
To Ellsworth AFBdiffers
- Piedmont
- 36 min from the Prairie Haven side, closer to 51 from the plats highest up the foothillsDriving time and distance, off peak.
- Wall
- About 43 miles westDistance only. Drive time is not measured for this community, so time it from the parcel.
Winter drivingdiffers
- Piedmont
- Driveway grade is the first thing to look at out here, then water, then where spring melt goes.
- Wall
- I-90 is the lifeline and it is state maintained, but this is open prairie and I-90 does close in a ground blizzard. Plan for that a few times a winter.
Housing and lots
Typical pricediffers
- Piedmont
- $375k to $575kMedian sold $425,000. Black Hills MLS, single family, trailing 12 months, as of August 2026. 127 closed sales.
- Wall
- 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.
Housing agediffers
- Piedmont
- Older ranch homes and newer custom builds, sometimes on the same road
- Wall
- Older stock through town, with a municipal demolition incentive program in place for blighted property.
New construction
- Piedmont
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
- Wall
- Limited, mostly infill and small projects
Acreagediffers
- Piedmont
- Acreage is a major part of the Piedmont-area market, particularly on surrounding unincorporated Meade County ground.
- Wall
- Acreage parcels are common here
Typical lotdiffers
- Piedmont
- Foothills lots that buy elevation, pine and space
- Wall
- Platted town lots, and then it jumps straight to ranch scale.
Covenants and HOAdiffers
Covenants are recorded per plat. The title commitment lists what binds the parcel.- Piedmont
- Not recorded townwide in this guide. Read the recorded documents for the plat.
- Wall
- Few plats here carry recorded covenants
Utilities and rules
Utility patterndiffers
- Piedmont
- Mixed, municipal service in town with well and septic outside it
- Wall
- City water and sewer inside the limits
Waterdiffers
- Piedmont
- City of Piedmont municipal, supplemented by bulk water from Black Hawk Water User District
- Wall
- Town of Wall municipal water inside the limits. Rural parcels are on private wells.
Sewerdiffers
- Piedmont
- 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.
- Wall
- Town sewer inside the limits, with private septic on rural parcels.
Short term rentalsdiffers
- Piedmont
- A research before you count on it town. The city publishes very little and the county next door publishes less.
- Wall
- This is genuine seasonal tourism territory at a national park gate. Confirm any town requirement, and note that Wall Drug houses many of its own seasonal workers, which removes demand from the local rental market.
Schools
School districtdiffers
- Piedmont
- Meade School District 46-1Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
- Wall
- Wall School District 51-5Assignment follows the official boundary for the address. Confirm with the district.
Daily errands
Groceriesdiffers
- Piedmont
- Not recorded in this guide. Check what is open near the address.
- Wall
- The Wall Food Center on South Boulevard West.
Healthcarediffers
- Piedmont
- Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
- Wall
- The Monument Health Wall Clinic on 7th Avenue is in town. The nearest hospital is Monument Health Rapid City, roughly 50 miles west.
Recreationdiffers
- Piedmont
- Foothills trailheads sit within minutes of town, and the Petrified Forest of the Black Hills is seasonal.
- Wall
- Badlands National Park about seven miles south, Buffalo Gap National Grassland all around, the National Grasslands Visitor Center on Main Street and the Wall rodeo arena.
Mapped subdivisions
Outlines on filediffers
- Piedmont
- 21 mapped outlines, 17 with a full guideReference outlines from county and city GIS, not surveys. The recorded plat controls.
- Wall
- No recorded subdivision outlines drawn for this community yet.
The trade
Housing and patterndiffers
- Piedmont
- Where the prairie folds up into the foothills, with a lot of my current listing inventory on these roads.
- Wall
- A complete small prairie town with its own school, clinic and grocery, at the northern gate to the Badlands.
What you gaindiffers
- Piedmont
- Foothills lots with elevation and pine, in Meade 46-1, with I-90 at the door and downtown Rapid City about 26 minutes south from the Prairie Haven side.
- Wall
- Everything a town needs in one place, 50 miles from the city, at prairie prices.
What you give updiffers
- Piedmont
- The city publishes very little, so rental plans, utilities and legal access get answered address by address, and a steep driveway is a winter decision.
- Wall
- Fifty miles to a hospital and to real shopping, and an economy that runs on a three month season.
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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