Rapid City has long been known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills.” The second largest city in South Dakota with a population of 67,956 in 2010, it is also the center of a metropolitan area that includes Pennington and Meade Counties with 120,279 residents. The city’s wholesale and retail trade and service economies cater to the needs of a vast agricultural hinterland and a substantial number of visitors who come to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore.

Rapid Creek, which flows from the Blacks Hills and down through the heart of the city provided a path for the city’s development for many years and then a course for devastation in 1972 when a massive flood ravaged the city. Today, the path of the flood and the creek provide a greenway, giving residents extraordinary parks and opportunities for recreation.

On a par with residents of other communities surveyed around the United States, residents of Rapid City like where they live. In a 2010 survey, 32 percent described their neighborhood as an excellent place to live. Another 46 percent said their neighborhoods were good. Meanwhile, 32 percent said Rapid City is an excellent place to live while another 47 percent called it good. Six out of ten residents say it is very likely they will remain in the community for another five years. Another 22 percent say it is somewhat likely they will stay. To read more about what Rapid City residents think of their community, read the report here.

Unlike Black Hills communities that began as mining camps, Rapid City owes its beginning to a group of discouraged gold prospectors.

John Brennan and Samuel Scott were part of the wave of white settlers who flocked to the region after the Custer Expedition discovered gold here in 1874. In February 1876 Brennan and Scott led a small party of men to the banks of Rapid Creek, where they laid out a square-mile business district for what is now Rapid City. Within six months, more than 100 people called Rapid City “home.”

Rapid City's population at the time of the 2010 Census was 67,956. Slightly more than eight in ten residents were white, while American Indians accounted for another 12 percent of the city's residents. Hispanic or Latino residents were another 4 percent of the population. Children under the age of 18 made up nearly 24 percent of the population, while seniors over the age of 65 accounted for 14 percent of the city's residents. 

Rapid City is an educational and training hub for the Black Hills region. With the second largest school district in the state, it is also home to the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T), University Center (a shared facility for various South Dakota regental institutions), a campus of Ogalala Lakota College, National American University, and Western Dakota Tech. To read more about education in Rapid City, click here.

Statistics on health and wellness are generally reported on a county basis. In Pennington County ranked 28th among 59 South Dakota counties scored on the basis of health outcomes in 2012, according to a collaborative project conducted by the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Pennington County ranked 41st among 59 counties on the basis of health factors. Based on comparing local information to state and national data, young people are especially at risk.

Employment

The jobless rate in the Rapid City metropolitan area rose to 4.7 percent in January. The total number of unemployed (3,100) rose sharply from October and November while the size of the civilian labor force continued to drop from 67, 200 in October to 65,900 in January. Job losses were evident in nearly all sectors since October with the biggest drops appearing in mining, logging and construction; trade, transportation and utilities and leisure and hospitality -- all industries affected by seasonal ups and downs. Over the last twelve months the leading growth sector for employment is manufacturing, which is up 8.3 percent. Employment in Professional and Business Services has increased by 4.3 percent. For more details and an overview of the economy in the Rapid City Metropolitan Statistical Area (Pennington and Meade counties), visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Updated March 29, 2012.)

Trade, transportation and utilities account for the largest share of jobs in Pennington County with nearly 22 percent of total employment. Education and health services is second with 17 percent. Most employed resident work in the county, with less than 5 percent commuting out. The median drive to work lasts 17 minutes. For an in-depth economic profile of Pennington County, visit the South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development. The Rapid City Chamber of Commerce has aggregated data links related to the Rapid City economy. Rapid City Economic Development also provides market data on the local economy. Identify the area's largest employers, their sales volume range, number of years in business and more in the spreadsheet linked here. For more on the Rapid City community's economic development effort, see our Economic Development resource page.

Income & Wages

Pennington County's median income exceeds most other counties in the Black Hills region and has risen from $37,485 in 2000 to $46,972 in 2009. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the county's total labor force in June 2011 was 56,160, with 2,503 people or 4.5 percent listed as unemployed. When salaries are compared to similar cities out of state, the Black Hills area ranks below Casper, Billings, Flagstaff and Bismarck.

Gross Domestic Product

Despite a sluggish economy across the nation, the total value of goods and services produced in the Rapid City metropolitan region (including Pennington and Meade counties) grew by an estimated 2.6 percent in 2010. This growth followed a 0.6 percentage decline in 2009 (based on revised figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis). With this growth, the Rapid City metropolitan area ranked 133rd among the fastest-growing urban economies in the nation. Regionally, Rapid City surpassed Sioux Falls (up 2.3 percent), Billings (up 0.4 percent) and Casper (down 3.8 percent). Only Bismarck (which was up 5.1 percent), showed stronger growth.

Business Activity

The Rapid City economy generated nearly $217.9 million in business activity subject to state sales tax in July and August 2011. This represented a 6.9 percent increase over the same period in 2010. Retail sales rose 9.6 percent. Manufacturing staged a dramatic recovery, increasing 47.8 percent. Meanwhile, construction suffered the biggest decline with revenues down nearly 10.8 percent. For more details, see the full report from the South Dakota Department of Revenue.

Environment & Conservation

• Mayor's Ad Hoc Task Force on Green Cities--information on the community group, including the Final Report from January 30, 2011 and resources for developing green initiatives in the community.

Transportation

The Rapid City Regional Airport serves as the primary airport for a broad area that includes most of western South Dakota, as well as parts of Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Rapid City airport ranked 156th among the nation's airports with 284,126 passenger "emplanements" in 2010. This volume represented a 6.63 percent increase over 2009, and was almost exactly in line with the growth predicted in the airport's 2008 Master Plan. By contrast, passenger volume rose 12.67 percent in Casper, WY;  6.48 percent in Bismarck, ND; 6.98 percent in Sioux Falls, SD; 6.04 percent in Bozeman, MT; and 3.75 percent in Fargo, ND. In Billings, Montana, passenger volume fell by 2.31 percent. The May, 2008 Masterplan provides a wealth of information on the future growth of the airport. (The executive summary is available here. The full report is available here.)