City · Pennington County, South Dakota

Box Elder, South Dakota

Box Elder is a city in Pennington County, South Dakota, part of the Rapid City, SD metro area. It has 12,902 residents. Box Elder, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,548 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #53 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on arts, entertainment and recreation (high), rent-burdened households (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and suicide rate (high).

65High

Quality-of-life score: #5,548 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #53 of 75 in SD
Population: 12,902 (2020-2024)
Land area: 15 mi²
Density: 868.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 4606620

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety4#15,060/15,637
Economy70#4,678/15,631
Housing79#3,180/14,977
Health50#7,766/15,609
Healthcare52#7,485/15,650
Environment73#4,119/15,453
Education59#6,444/15,649
Infrastructure72#4,398/15,650
Community56#6,911/15,651
Leisure & amenities73#4,164/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Box Elder, South Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Pennington County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Arts, entertainment and recreation · high10.3 /10k
95/100South Dakota 8.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPennington County value
Rent-burdened households · low43.4%
94/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.8 µg/m³
92/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPennington County value
Average commute time · low20.1 min
92/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Median Air Quality Index · low32
92/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPennington County value
Mammography screening · high55.0%
91/100South Dakota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePennington County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high287 mi
0/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauPennington County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high266 mi
1/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauPennington County value
Suicide rate · high31.9 /100k
2/100South Dakota 22.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPennington County value
Property crime rate · high2,799 /100k
3/100South Dakota 1,312 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationPennington County value
Violent crime rate · high667 /100k
3/100South Dakota 308 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationPennington County value
Comfortable days · low22.3%
4/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPennington County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
9,683 (2015-2019) → 12,902 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
8.8 /1k (2021) → 4.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−45%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.5% (2015-2019) → 93.3% (2020-2024)
+7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
17.8% (2015-2019) → 10.2% (2020-2024)
−7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2015-2019) → 4.1× (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$53,382 (2015-2019) → $73,008 (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Box Elder, South Dakota improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+37%$53,382 → $73,008
Broadband+7.8 points85.5% → 93.3%

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×3.0× → 4.1×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Box Elder, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.5 min2015-2019	20.1 min2020-2024	+3.5 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.9%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Broadband subscriptions	85.5%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Improved	48%
Child poverty rate	17.8%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	−7.7 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Effective property tax rate	1.55%2015-2019	1.28%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
High school diploma or higher	94.8%2015-2019	92.4%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3352015-2019	0.3822020-2024	+0.047	Within the margin of error	18%
Median household income	$53,3822015-2019	$73,0082020-2024	+37%	Improved	69%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Rent as share of income	28.2%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	42.3%2015-2019	43.4%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.8%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	57%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Box Elder, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Box Elder, South Dakota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Box Elder, South Dakota itself moved −6.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

12,902 residents (±55)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,679 households (±668)

Box Elder, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k9.1%†427
$25k–50k22%†1,015
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,679 households (±668)

Box Elder, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own48%2,257
Rent52%2,422

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,099 workers (±699)

Box Elder, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone76%5,381
Carpool13%906
Public transit0.8%†57

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Rapid City, SD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Pennington County, the county holding most of Box Elder's residents.

Pennington County has 4,137 employer establishments, 357 for every 10,000 residents (1.44× the US rate of 248; 1.13× South Dakota's), with 52,402 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,101. The Census Bureau also counts 10,204 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,137; 10,204 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 357; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 52,402
Average annual pay: $51,101; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Pennington County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	325	28	1.35×More than typical	4,083	$69,921	439
Specialty trade contractors	325	28	1.81×More than typical	2,962	$59,317	637
Restaurants and other eating places	260	22.4	1.22×About typical	5,641	$24,444	36
Lessors of real estate	250	21.6	1.75×More than typical	657	$70,804	1,422
Construction of buildings	169	14.6	1.93×More than typical	946	$61,699	298
Automotive repair and maintenance	131	11.3	2.25×More than typical	682	$44,802	133
Offices of other health practitioners	120	10.4	1.70×More than typical	520	$42,765	219
Services to buildings and dwellings	118	10.2	1.51×More than typical	852	$25,608	466
Real estate agents and brokers	114	9.8	2.02×More than typical	178	$46,494	194
Traveler accommodation	114	9.8	5.45×More than typical	1,615	$28,474	75
Limited-service restaurants	108	9.3	1.16×About typical	2,411	$21,067	12
Full-service restaurants	105	9.1	1.18×About typical	2,558	$29,036	14

Rank places for an industry Open Pennington County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 115,867 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $29.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Box Elder, South Dakota: $2,273 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $29.3M; +54% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,273; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

7.1MFY2017
6.5MFY2018
5.1MFY2019
10.1MFY2020
8.7MFY2021
48.9MFY2022
52.4MFY2023
91.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$21.4M73%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$2M7.0%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$1.5M5.0%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$1.2M4.1%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$669.1K2.3%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Box Elder, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Box Elder, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Pennington County, SD and Meade County, SD ($259.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 11% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Box Elder is mostly in Pennington County.

See federal money in Pennington County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Box Elder, South Dakota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Dusty JohnsonR-SD · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Rapid City, SD74

Other cities and towns in Pennington County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4606620

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends