Humidity & wind
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Population
80,589
US Census estimate, July 2025
Median home value
$299,400
Owner-occupied units
Rapid City, SD
South Dakota · 44.071° N, 103.218° W · 56 sq mi
Rapid City is a city in South Dakota, with a population of 80,589 and about 1,439 residents per square mile. The median household earns $70,870 a year, and the median home is worth $299,400.
Conditions
UV index
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Sunrise & sunset
—
Local time
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Size & density
Land area
56 sq mi
Water excluded
Population density
1,439
People per square mile
Rank by population
#486
Of cities on this site
Rank by area
#203
Of cities on this site
Money & housing
Median household income
$70,870
US median ≈ $78,538
Median gross rent
$1,109
Per month
Homeownership
62.9%
US ≈ 65%
Average commute
17.5 min
One way
People
Median age
39.1
US median 39.1
Bachelor's degree +
37%
Age 25 and over
Foreign born
2.6%
Households
32,368
2.3 people each
Climate · 2021–2025 average
Clear days 31/yr Mostly or fully clear sky
Days with rain 125/yr 0.01 in or more
Days with snow 58/yr
Days above 90° 17/yr
Below freezing 133/yr
Annual rainfall 18.2in Inches per year, scaled to 70 in — the rows above count days
Warmest month
July
Average high 84°F
Coldest month
February
Average low 16°F
What people here do for work
Education & health care 28.8%
Retail trade 11.9%
Arts, food & hospitality 10.4%
Professional & business services 10.2%
Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024
Wealthiest person in South Dakota
Name
T. Denny Sanford
Forbes, Apr 2025
Net worth
$2.1B
As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live
Lives in
Sioux Falls
Source of wealth
Banking, credit cards
Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.
Largest employer in South Dakota · private sector
Employer
Sanford Health
Sector
Healthcare
Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.
Largest public company in South Dakota
Company
Black Hills Corporation
Revenue
$2.1B
Fiscal year 2024
Headquarters
Rapid City
Ticker
BKH
Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.
State of South Dakota
State bird
Ring-necked Pheasant
State flower
Pasque Flower
State capital
Pierre
Nickname
The Mount Rushmore State
Compare Rapid City with
- Rapid City vs Sioux FallsSide by side
- Rapid City vs PharrSide by side
- Rapid City vs LargoSide by side
- Rapid City vs CasperSide by side
- Rapid City vs CheyenneSide by side
- Rapid City vs ApexSide by side
Cities about the same size
- Largo, FL80,690
- Apex, NC80,419
- Johns Creek, GA80,401
- Pharr, TX80,830
- Pine Hills, FL80,105
- Lynchburg, VA81,347
- Alhambra, CA79,820
- Loveland, CO81,387
More in South Dakota
- Sioux Falls213,748