Population
12,902
+50.6% since 2010
Typical home
$367K
+2.3% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Jobs based here
2,013
A commuter town
What makes Box Elder stand out The 3 things Box Elder does most differently from other towns.
A growing town Box Elder has grown 50.6% since 2010 7,800 people in 2010; 12,902 today.
What’s changed most in Box Elder? 7,800 2010
11,746 2020
12,902 Today
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 · ACS
Residents weigh in
Box Elder is #34 of 34 in SD for “Cheapest rent”. Fair?
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In the news: Hold the Rope Summit happening in Box Elder, SD, this weekend → Is Box Elder still affordable for young families? → How do you get to work from Box Elder? → Where do you go to stay active in Box Elder? →
45° Partly Cloudy H 77° · L 52°
Upcoming events
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The data Ordered by what stands out in Box Elder. Another town gets a different order.
Housing
A typical Box Elder home is worth about $367K The typical Box Elder home is worth about $367,000, up 2.3% in a year, 14% above the South Dakota typical home.
$367K Zillow home value
Typical home value Box Elder $367K
South Dakota $322K
Market temperature
Buyer’s market A buyer's market Buyer’s Seller’s +2.3%
value change, 1 year
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Box Elder Most working residents leave Box Elder for work: only 7% work in town. The top destinations are Rapid City (62%), Sioux Falls (4%) and Wall (2%). Half commute less than 8 miles.
7% work in town
Where working residents work In Box Elder 7%
Rapid City 62%
Sioux Falls 4%
Wall 2%
Faith 1%
8 mi
median commute distance
2,013
jobs based in Box Elder
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Health
Healthier than 74% of U.S. towns Box Elder beats the South Dakota average on 12 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
B+ Health Grade
26 measures vs. South Dakota
What stands out Box Elder SD Fewer adults who have had cancer 5.5% 9.2% Fewer adults with heart disease 4.3% 6.8% More binge drinkers 23.6% 18.8%
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
7.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
62nd
percentile among SD towns
Safety
Less crime per resident than 31% of U.S. towns Box Elder reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 69% report less.
C Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents Box Elder 3.1
South Dakota 3.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents Box Elder 13.8
South Dakota 14.3
U.S. 15.5
31st
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
32nd
percentile among SD towns
45
violent crimes reported in 2025
199
property crimes reported in 2025
Climate
Snowy winters, pleasant summers Box Elder has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
49″ snow a winter
Typical low → high °F Winter 15–38°
Spring 33–57°
Summer 57–83°
Fall 36–62°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
Schools
Box Elder’s public schools outperform 48% of South Dakota districts The public schools Box Elder’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 52% of South Dakota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
B− School Grade
Natural hazards
Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
51 risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
51 Moderate risk Lower Higher Inland flooding Cold waves Wildfire
16
paid flood claims since 1986
1
federal disasters paid out here
Outdoors
0.7% of Box Elder is conserved land 5.7 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.
0.7% conserved
0.7%
conserved · 63 of 9,466 acres
5.7 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
Biggest places to walk Trails Acres 1. Boykin Park — 3
A commuter town 93% of working residents leave Box Elder for work Where Box Elder’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
62% → Rapid City Rapid City 62%
4% → Sioux Falls Sioux Falls 4%
2% → Wall Wall 2%
1% → Faith Faith 1%
1% → Spearfish Spearfish 1%
1% → Rapid Valley Rapid Valley 1%
Box Elder · 7% stay
2,013 jobs based in Box Elder
7% of working residents work in town
8 mi median commute distance
How do you get to work from Box Elder?
Census LEHD 2023
2017 · Box Elder, South Dakota · Wikimedia Commons
Box Elder’s story
119 years in pictures
3 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.
Explore the history →
Box Elder (Lakota: čhaŋšúška; "box elder maple") is a city in Pennington and Meade Counties, South Dakota, United States. The population was 11,746 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 13,887 in 2024, making it the ninth-most populous city in South Dakota. Ellsworth Air Force Base lies on the northwest side of the city, and it is a suburb of Rapid City. Box Elder was named from nearby Boxelder Creek.
From Wikipedia , licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Established 1907
Population 11,746
Area 14 sq mi
Elevation 3,031 ft
ZIP code 57719
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