Rapid City, SD

Census Place

2024 Population

77,946

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

US Representative

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.1

0.256% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.5%

Population & Diversity

Rapid City, SD is home to a population of 77.9k people, from which 98.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.59% of Rapid City, SD residents were born outside of the country (2.02k people).

In 2024, there were 10.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (59.5k people) in Rapid City, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.5k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 4.97k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Rapid City, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Rapid City, SD was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Rapid City, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rapid City, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
59.5k ± 878
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
5.5k ± 635
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.97k ± 673

6.09%

Hispanic Population

4.75k people

6.09% of the people in Rapid City, SD are hispanic (4.75k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Rapid City, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,429 ± 1,435 people
Guatemala
2,883 ± 1,316 people
Ethiopia
2,826 ± 1,303 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,429 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,883 and Ethiopia with 2,826.

Foreign-Born Population

2.59%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.02k people

2.32%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.78k people

As of 2024, 2.59% of Rapid City, SD residents (2.02k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Rapid City, SD was 2.32%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Rapid City, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,220 ± 339
Gulf War (2001-)
1,979 ± 388
Gulf War (1990s)
1,183 ± 256

Rapid City, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Rapid City, SD.

Economy

The economy of Rapid City, SD employs 38.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Rapid City, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,683 people), Retail Trade (4,579 people), and Construction (3,559 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($70,253), Utilities ($65,909), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($62,924).

Employment

Occupations

38.4k

2024 Value

± 1,629

1.9%

1 Year growth

± 5.93%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rapid City, SD grew at a rate of 1.9%, from 37.7k employees to 38.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rapid City, SD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,138 people), Management Occupations (3,707 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (3,550 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rapid City, SD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

38.4k

2024 Value

± 1,629

1.9%

1 Year growth

± 5.93%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rapid City, SD grew at a rate of 1.9%, from 37.7k employees to 38.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rapid City, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,683 people), Retail Trade (4,579 people), and Construction (3,559 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rapid City, SD, though some of these residents may live in Rapid City, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,159

Median earning men ± $2,715

$40,933

Median earning women ± $1,713

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($69,936), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($66,237), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,980).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,369), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,784), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,140).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing the state of South Dakota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Rapid City, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Rapid City, SD. Showing the available data for South Dakota.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (63.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (34.2%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in South Dakota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from South Dakota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

John Thune

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2005

Mike Rounds

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing South Dakota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in South Dakota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Rapid City, SD

Dusty Johnson

District at-large Representative

Republican Party

Rapid City, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Rapid City, SD have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

The student population of Rapid City, SD in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 2,967 male students and 1,822 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rapid City, SD are White (881 and 75.7%), Black or African American (75 and 6.44%), Hispanic or Latino (75 and 6.44%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (49 and 4.21%).

The largest universities in Rapid City, SD by number of degrees awarded are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (502 and 41%), Western Dakota Technical College (327 and 26.7%), and National American University-Rapid City (288 and 23.5%).

The most popular majors in Rapid City, SD are General Business Administration & Management (116 and 9.48%), Mechanical Engineering (93 and 7.6%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (54 and 4.42%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $7,800 for in-state students and $12,200 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Rapid City, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 79.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 38.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 4,789 (62% men and 38% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 4,789 students enrolled in Rapid City, SD, 62% men and 38% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,323 records, of which 36.5% were women and 63.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
84 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
48 degrees awarded
General Computer & Information Sciences
35 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Rapid City, SD was Mechanical Engineering with 84 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Rapid City, SD according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
502 degrees awarded
Western Dakota Technical College
327 degrees awarded
National American University-Rapid City
288 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with 502 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 671 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rapid City, SD, which is 1.22 times more than the 552 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 881 degrees mean that there were 11.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 75 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($15,390) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($4,698) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,900) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rapid City, SD was $299,400 in 2024, which is 0.9 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $270,000 to $299,400, a 10.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Rapid City, SD is 62.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Rapid City, SD have an average commute time of 17.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rapid City, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$299,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,825

$20,375

Median Property Taxes

±$979

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Rapid City, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Rapid City, SD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

62.9%

Homeownership

2024

67.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.9% of the housing units in Rapid City, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 61.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rapid City, SD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$70,870

Median Household Income

± $3,555

32.4k

Number of Households

± 1,371

In 2024, the median household income of the 32.4k households in Rapid City, SD grew to $70,870 from the previous year's value of $65,712.

The following chart displays the households in Rapid City, SD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rapid City, SD is from South Dakota.

0.44

2024 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2024, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.44 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.642% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Dakota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.7%)
Worked At Home (9.97%)
Carpooled (9.29%)

In 2024, 76.7% of workers in Rapid City, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.97%) and those who carpooled to work (9.29%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rapid City, SD have a shorter commute time (17.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.82% of the workforce in Rapid City, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Rapid City, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Rapid City, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Rapid City, SD have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rapid City, SD (9.34k out of 74.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rapid City, SD is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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