Rapid City, SD

Census Place

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2024 Population
77,946
US Senator
John Thune
Republican Party
US Senator
Mike Rounds
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
39.1
0.256% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
12.5%
5.7% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$70,870
7.85% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$299,400
10.9% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
38,439
1.9% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Rapid City, SD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.7% of the residents in Rapid City, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Rapid City, SD are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (560 degrees awarded in 2023), Western Dakota Technical College (431 degrees), and National American University-Rapid City (307 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Rapid City, SD was $299,400, and the homeownership rate was 62.9%.

Most people in Rapid City, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Rapid City, SD was 2 cars per household.

United StatesSouth DakotaPennington County, SDRapid City, SDWest South Dakota--Rapid City PUMA, SD

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rapid City, SD
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    59.5k ± 878
  2. American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
    5.5k ± 635
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    4.97k ± 673
6.09%
Hispanic Population
4.75k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,626 ± 1,475 people
  2. Guatemala
    2,932 ± 1,327 people
  3. Ethiopia
    2,627 ± 1,257 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,626 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,932 and Ethiopia with 2,627.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,220 ± 339
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,979 ± 388
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.
Y-Axis
2.37%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 450k people employed in South Dakota. This represents a 2.37% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.96%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Dakota.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Rapid City, SD awarded 1,418 degrees. The student population of Rapid City, SD in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 2,912 male students and 1,797 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rapid City, SD are White (1,023 and 74.7%), Black or African American (95 and 6.94%), Hispanic or Latino (76 and 5.55%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (53 and 3.87%).

The largest universities in Rapid City, SD by number of degrees awarded are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (560 and 39.5%), Western Dakota Technical College (431 and 30.4%), and National American University-Rapid City (307 and 21.7%).

The most popular majors in Rapid City, SD are General Business Administration & Management (123 and 8.67%), Mechanical Engineering (84 and 5.92%), and General Civil Engineering (57 and 4.02%).

The median tuition cost in Rapid City, SD 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 2023 in Rapid City, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 85.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 37.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 4,709 (61.8% men and 38.2% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 4,709 students enrolled in Rapid City, SD, 61.8% men and 38.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,316 records, of which 36.6% were women and 63.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Mechanical Engineering
    76 degrees awarded
  2. General Business Administration & Management
    46 degrees awarded
  3. Chemical Engineering
    42 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Rapid City, SD was Mechanical Engineering with 76 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
    560 degrees awarded
  2. Western Dakota Technical College
    431 degrees awarded
  3. National American University-Rapid City
    307 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with 560 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 736 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rapid City, SD, which is 1.08 times more than the 682 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,023 degrees mean that there were 10.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 95 degrees awarded.

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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.

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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 2023.

Public, 2-year ($4,536) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,060) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rapid City, SD is from South Dakota.
0.443
2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota
0.438
2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2023, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.14% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (76.7%)
  2. Worked At Home (9.97%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

90.2% of the population of Rapid City, SD has health coverage, with 45.4% on employee plans, 11.7% on Medicaid, 12.8% on Medicare, 16.1% on non-group plans, and 4.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see 1,252 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,252 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1561 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 409 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 35.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

9.84%
Uninsured
45.4%
Employer Coverage
11.7%
Medicaid
12.8%
Medicare
16.1%
Non-Group
4.1%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rapid City, SD declined by 7.47% from 10.6% to 9.84%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Rapid City, SD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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