Rapid City, SD

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

151,064

7.63% 1-year growth

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

40.2

2.81% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

10.8%

3.51% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$71,985

5.3% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$274,200

10.3% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

73,935

6.8% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Rapid City, SD had a population of 151k people with a median age of 40.2 and a median household income of $71,985. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Rapid City, SD grew from 140,356 to 151,064, a 7.63% increase and its median household income grew from $68,363 to $71,985, a 5.3% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Rapid City, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (80.5%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (6.31%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (5.11%), Two+ (Hispanic) (2.17%), and White (Hispanic) (1.9%).

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.

99.2% 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 (545 degrees awarded in 2022), Western Dakota Technical College (377 degrees), and National American University-Rapid City (332 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Rapid City, SD was $274,200, and the homeownership rate was 70.9%.

Most people in Rapid City, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Rapid City, SD was 2 cars per household.

Rapid City, SD borders Spearfish, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Rapid City, SD is home to a population of 151k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.13% of Rapid City, SD residents were born outside of the country (3.22k people).

In 2023, there were 12.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (122k people) in Rapid City, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 9.53k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 7.72k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

99.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.2% of Rapid City, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Rapid City, SD was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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)
122k ± 528
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
9.53k ± 890
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
7.72k ± 745

5.19%

Hispanic Population

7.83k people

5.19% of the people in Rapid City, SD are hispanic (7.83k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Rapid City, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,032 ± 1,350 people
Guatemala
2,803 ± 1,298 people
Ethiopia
2,418 ± 1,206 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,032 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,803 and Ethiopia with 2,418.

Foreign-Born Population

2.13%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.22k people

2.12%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

2.97k people

As of 2023, 2.13% of Rapid City, SD residents (3.22k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Rapid City, SD was 2.12%, 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

Gulf War (2001-)
4,778 ± 579
Vietnam
4,306 ± 375
Gulf War (1990s)
2,164 ± 324

Rapid City, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Rapid City, SD employs 73.9k people. The largest industries in Rapid City, SD are Health Care & Social Assistance (13,214 people), Retail Trade (9,014 people), and Construction (6,985 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($93,441), Public Administration ($60,908), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,833).

Males in South Dakota have an average income that is 1.29 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,552. The income inequality in South Dakota (measured using the Gini index) is 0.438, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

73.9k

2023 Value

± 2,218

6.8%

1 Year growth

± 4.04%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Rapid City, SD grew at a rate of 6.8%, from 69.2k employees to 73.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rapid City, SD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (8,813 people), Management Occupations (7,683 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (7,625 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 false.

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

73.9k

2023 Value

± 2,218

6.8%

1 Year growth

± 4.04%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Rapid City, SD grew at a rate of 6.8%, from 69.2k employees to 73.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rapid City, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (13,214 people), Retail Trade (9,014 people), and Construction (6,985 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

$48,970

Median earning men ± $2,293

$36,995

Median earning women ± $1,018

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,323), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($63,309), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($58,750), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($46,406), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,609).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

490
Construction
333
Other Services (except Public Administration)
287
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$885k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$363k
Retail Trade
$329k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2022, universities in Rapid City, SD awarded 1,380 degrees. The student population of Rapid City, SD in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 3,031 male students and 2,078 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rapid City, SD are White (990 and 73.9%), followed by Black or African American (106 and 7.91%), Hispanic or Latino (74 and 5.52%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (55 and 4.1%).

The largest universities in Rapid City, SD by number of degrees awarded are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (545 and 39.5%), Western Dakota Technical College (377 and 27.3%), and National American University-Rapid City (332 and 24.1%).

The most popular majors in Rapid City, SD are General Business Administration & Management (141 and 10.2%), Mechanical Engineering (110 and 7.97%), and General Civil Engineering (76 and 5.51%).

The median tuition cost in Rapid City, SD for a public four year colleges is $7,820 for in-state students and $12,240 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Rapid City, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 82.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 43%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 5,109 (59.3% men and 40.7% 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 2022 there were 5,109 students enrolled in Rapid City, SD, 59.3% men and 40.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,621 records, of which 38.9% were women and 61.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
95 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
58 degrees awarded
General Civil Engineering
48 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Rapid City, SD was Mechanical Engineering with 95 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
545 degrees awarded
Western Dakota Technical College
377 degrees awarded
National American University-Rapid City
332 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with 545 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 727 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rapid City, SD, which is 1.11 times more than the 653 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 990 degrees mean that there were 9.34 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 106 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 ($10,695) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($4,861) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($2,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.574% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.482% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (206k), Some college (148k), and Bachelors Degree (133k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rapid City, SD was $274,200 in 2023, which is 0.904 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $248,700 to $274,200, a 10.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Rapid City, SD is 70.9%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Rapid City, SD have an average commute time of 19.8 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.

Median household income in Rapid City, SD is $71,985. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Rapid City, SD was Lincoln County, SD with a value of $96,552, followed by Hanson County, SD and Union County, SD, with respective values of $86,375 and $84,137.

Housing

Property

$274,200

Median Property Value 2023

±$5,178

$43,600

Median Property Taxes

±$1,516

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

70.9%

Homeownership

2023

65%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 70.9% of the housing units in Rapid City, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.9%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Rapid City, SD was Lincoln County, SD with a value of $96,552, followed by Hanson County, SD and Union County, SD, with respective values of $86,375 and $84,137.

The following map shows all of the counties in Rapid City, SD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$71,985

Median Household Income

± $1,953

61.5k

Number of Households

± 1,908

In 2023, the median household income of the 61.5k households in Rapid City, SD grew to $71,985 from the previous year's value of $68,363.

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.

0.438

2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.439

2021 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2022, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.438 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.26% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (77.5%)
Worked At Home (9.3%)
Carpooled (8.7%)

In 2023, 77.5% of workers in Rapid City, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.3%) and those who carpooled to work (8.7%).

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

19.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rapid City, SD have a shorter commute time (19.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.93% 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

10.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rapid City, SD (15.9k out of 146k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

89.8% of the population of Rapid City, SD has health coverage, with 43.9% on employee plans, 9.89% on Medicaid, 13.4% on Medicare, 17.3% on non-group plans, and 5.39% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see 1243 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.11% decrease from the previous year (1257 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1552 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 465 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,243 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in South Dakota

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see an average of 1,243 patients per year. This represents a 1.11% decrease from the previous year (1,257 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in South Dakota in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.4% under 18 years, 19.2% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.9% were men and 50.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.2%

Uninsured

43.9%

Employer Coverage

9.89%

Medicaid

13.4%

Medicare

17.3%

Non-Group

5.39%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rapid City, SD declined by 5.75% from 10.9% to 10.2%.

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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