1887 · Cowboys near Belle Fourche, 1887 · Wikimedia Commons
Belle Fourche’s story
Belle Fourche in pictures
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 16 places on the National Register.
![Round-up scenes on Belle Fouche [sic] in 1887](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/16156/2b8c6a4b3ef28015246c-s.jpg)
![Roundup scenes on Belle Fouche [sic] in 1887](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/16156/d1e1663ec02e8fbd7fe6-s.jpg)
![Round-up scenes on Belle Fouche [sic] in 1887](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/16156/32c406027a99167a4686-s.jpg)
Belle FourcheSD
A town of 5,804. Home to 16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Bradleygee · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
5,804
+0.4% since 2010
Typical home
$340K
+2.1% in a year
Household income
$65K
median
Median age
38.3
years
Jobs based here
1,908
A commuter town
What makes Belle Fourche stand out
The 3 things Belle Fourche does most differently from other towns.
1887 · Cowboys near Belle Fourche, 1887History
16 historic places
16 places on the National Register
6 archive photos, postcards and papers.
$340Ktypical home
Housing
$340K typical home
6% above the SD typical home
Up 2.1% in a year.
100 U.S. towns● Belle Fourche
Health
52% of U.S. towns are healthier
on CDC estimates
Better than SD on 0 measures, worse on 5.
![Roundup scenes on Belle Fouche [sic] in 1887](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/16156/d1e1663ec02e8fbd7fe6-l.jpg)
1887
From the archive · today’s picture
139 years ago in Belle Fourche
Roundup scenes on Belle Fouche [sic] in 1887
Photo · Library of Congress. A different picture from Belle Fourche’s archive appears here every day.
See all 6 archive items →Belle Fourche’s report card
Housing$340K6% above the SD typical homeHealthB−Healthier than 48% of U.S. townsCommute12 miHalf of commuters travel lessSchoolsCBeats 29% of SD districtsHazards70/100High risk of storm & flood damageClimate88°/13°Summer high · winter low · 42″ snowSafetyC+Less crime than 41% of U.S. townsOutdoors1 miof trails · 1.8% conserved
Now in Belle Fourche
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Belle Fourche is #37 of 37 in SD for “Shortest commute”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Belle Fourche’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
Weather
Forecast →64°
Mostly Clear
H 75° · L 52°
Local news
All →- Belle Fourche Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Edgemontmaxpreps.com · Sep 26
- Sturgis Brown Boys Varsity Basketball @ Belle Fourchemaxpreps.com · Sep 25
- Rapid City Christian Girls Varsity Basketball @ Belle Fourchemaxpreps.com · Sep 25
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Belle Fourche. Another town gets a different order.
Housing
A typical Belle Fourche home is worth about $340K
The typical Belle Fourche home is worth about $340,000, up 2.1% in a year, 6% above the South Dakota typical home.
$340KZillow home value
Typical home value
Belle Fourche$340K
South Dakota$322K
+2.1%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Health
Healthier than 48% of U.S. towns
Belle Fourche beats the South Dakota average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
B−Health Grade
26 measures vs. South Dakota
0 better21 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Belle Fourche | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.9% | 12.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.8% |
Monument Health Spearfish Hospital
11.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
21st
percentile among SD towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Work & commute
About one in three working residents works right in Belle Fourche
About one in 3 of Belle Fourche’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Spearfish (20%), Rapid City (10%) and Deadwood (3%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
29%work in town
Where working residents work
In Belle Fourche29%
Spearfish20%
Rapid City10%
Deadwood3%
Sturgis3%
12 mi
median commute distance
1,908
jobs based in Belle Fourche
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Schools
Belle Fourche’s public schools outperform 29% of South Dakota districts
The public schools Belle Fourche’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 71% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
CSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Park Elementary - 03 | 1–4 | 347 | C |
| North Park Elementary - 08 | K | 89 | Not graded |
| Belle Fourche Middle School - 07 | 5–8 | 414 | C− |
| Belle Fourche High School - 01 | 9–12 | 389 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduationAll 4 schools →
Natural hazards
High risk, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesWildfire
6
paid flood claims since 1982
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Snowy winters, hot summers
Belle Fourche has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–37°
Spring33–59°
Summer56–85°
Fall34–62°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Safety
Less crime per resident than 41% of U.S. towns
Belle Fourche reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 59% report less.
C+Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Belle Fourche2.5
South Dakota3.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Belle Fourche7.8
South Dakota14.3
U.S.15.5
41st
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
46th
percentile among SD towns
15
violent crimes reported in 2025
46
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Outdoors
1.8% of Belle Fourche is conserved land
0.6 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves.
1.8%conserved
1.8%
conserved · 104 of 5,819 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hermann Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Highland Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Jones Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Landmarks
16 places in Belle Fourche on the National Register of Historic Places.
Famous people from Belle Fourche
10 notable people were born in Belle Fourche.
About Belle Fourche
City in South Dakota, United States
Belle Fourche (; bel-FOOSH) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 5,617 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 5,855 in 2024, making it the 18th-most populous city in South Dakota. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles (885 km) northwest from the geographic center of the contiguous United States in Lebanon, Kansas with the admission of Alaska and Hawaii in the mid-20th century.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Population
- 5,617
- Area
- 8.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,022 ft
- ZIP code
- 57717
- Area code
- 605
More about Belle Fourche
Still missing for Belle Fourche:upcoming events