Rapid City, South Dakota Population 2024

80,896

Rapid City Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Rapid City was:

  • White: 78.46%
  • Two or more races: 9.26%
  • Native American: 8.51%
  • Black or African American: 1.61%
  • Asian: 1.24%
  • Other race: 0.87%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%
Land Area (mi²)
55.1 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,469.10/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
7.96% (5,968)
The current population of Rapid City, South Dakota is 80,896 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 74,928.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White59,34178.46%
Two or more races7,0049.26%
Native American6,4408.51%
Black or African American1,2201.61%
Asian9361.24%
Other race6610.87%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander300.04%

White

Two or more races

Native American

Black or African American

Asian

Other race

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Rapid City Population by Race

Rapid City Population Pyramid 2024

Rapid City Median Age

38.6

Total

37.1

Male

40

Female

Rapid City Adults

There are 59,008 adults, (15,100 of whom are seniors) in Rapid City.

Rapid City Age Dependency

72.3

Age Dependency Ratio

34.4

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.9

Child Dependency Ratio

Rapid City Sex Ratio

Female37,37649.42%
Male38,25650.58%

Rapid City Population by Age

Rapid City Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All31,4532.2961.738.3
Non Family14,1451.274654
Married12,901383.916.1
Female3,1413.542.557.5
Male1,2663.5158.841.2

3.03

Average Family Size

2.29

Average Household Size

61.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Rapid City Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade1,8653.59%
Associates Degree5,32310.25%
Bachelors Degree11,65822.44%
Graduate Degree6,78713.07%
High School Graduate13,99126.94%
Less Than 9th Grade9901.91%
Some College11,32821.81%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Rapid City Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Rapid City Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White42,89841,07716,279
2+ Races3,2113,0571,026
Native American3,2072,624338
Hispanic2,1361,920706
Asian720695395
Black70865057
Other Race429331120
Islander18186

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 54.86%.

Rapid City Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$51,196$59,231$47,104
Graduate Degree$81,049$103,563$66,307
High School Graduate$32,492$34,427$29,187
Less Than 9th Grade$26,548$28,519$20,060
Overall$41,306$44,765$37,742
Some College$38,304$43,434$34,589

$41,306

Average Earnings

$44,765

Average Male

$37,742

Average Female

Rapid City Earnings by Educational Attainment

Rapid City Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Rapid City Language

95.43% of Rapid City residents speak only English, while 4.57% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other languages, which is spoken by 1.52% of the population.

Rapid City Language

Rapid City Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White55,9564,6928.39%
Native5,7173,15655.2%
Multiple6,7911,23818.23%
Hispanic4,4331,18926.82%
Black1,12435031.14%
Asian908909.91%
Other6618913.46%

13.42%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.49%

Male Poverty Rate

15.36%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Rapid City

The race most likely to be in poverty in Rapid City is Native, with 55.2% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Rapid City is White, with 8.39% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.08%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.63%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.91%.

Rapid City Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade29.48%
High School17.74%
Some College11.2%
Bachelors or Greater3.09%

Rapid City Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed49.73%
Male Unemployed28.87%
Male Employed5.96%
Female Employed5.66%

Rapid City Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Rapid City Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$83,972$113,189
Households$62,784$88,029
Married Families$98,587$131,660
Non Families$38,127$54,953

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Rapid City Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

44.0%

Overall Marriage Rate

44.6%

Male Marriage Rate

43.4%

Female Marriage Rate

Rapid City Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Rapid City Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Rapid City Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Rapid City Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

6,916

Number of Veterans

6,241

Male Veterans

675

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam2,642
First Gulf War1,934
Second Gulf War1,718
Korea281
World War II132

Rapid City Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 742,015
35 to 541,620
75+1,615
55 to 641,137
18 to 34529

Rapid City Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White6,04612.59%
2+ Races44410.51%
Hispanic34613.77%
Native American2375.92%
Black12715.76%
Asian405.04%
Other Race224.4%

Rapid City Veterans by Race

Rapid City Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.1%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.73%

Veteran Disability Rate

Rapid City Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

64.2%

Labor Force Participation

60.9%

Employment Rate

3.4%

Unemployment Rate

Rapid City Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Rapid City Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Rapid City Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

56.6%

Born in Rapid City

97.69%

Native Born

2.31%

Foreign Born

0.93%

Non Citizen

1.37%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

97.69% of Rapid City residents were born in the United States, with 56.6% having been born in South Dakota. 0.93% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Rapid City Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202988,3561,4921.72%
202886,8641,4921.75%
202785,3721,4921.78%
202683,8801,4921.81%
202582,3881,4921.84%
202480,8961,4921.88%
202379,4046880.87%
202278,7161,9732.57%
202176,7431,8152.42%
202074,928-2,986-3.83%
201977,9141,5512.03%
201876,3631,0181.35%
201775,3451,1591.56%
201674,1867521.02%
201573,4343920.54%
201473,0421,2741.78%
201371,7681,0111.43%
201270,7571,1671.68%
201169,5904520.65%
201069,13800%
200059,6075,0849.32%
199054,5238,03117.27%
198046,4922,6566.06%
197043,8361,4373.39%
196042,39917,08967.52%
195025,31011,46682.82%
194013,8443,44033.06%
193010,4044,62780.09%
19205,7771,92349.9%
19103,8542,554196.46%
19001,300-87,056-98.53%

Rapid City Population by Year