Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,934, settled in 1887.
Blackhawk grades C+ overall, 29th among South Dakota's 35 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 71% of South Dakota towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $357K, 4.7 years of the Rapid City metro’s $75K median household income. 17% of the land in Blackhawk is conserved, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 3.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 5 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on walkability. Blackhawk has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Blackhawk’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Blackhawk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,608 in 1980, 3,026 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
Blackhawk is unincorporated, so Meade County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Blackhawk.
Blackhawk has less tooth loss than most of South Dakota, sends most of its workers to Rapid City and beyond and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of South Dakota.
3.9 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Blackhawk’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in South Dakota’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Rapid City Area School District 51-4. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk Elementary - 03Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 305 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with South Dakota is tooth loss: 8.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide.
27% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Blackhawk. Blackhawk beats the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 19% of adults binge drink in Blackhawk.
| Blackhawk | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Blackhawk | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 12.7% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 75.2% | 69.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blackhawk has 419 jobs for its 1,398 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Blackhawk for work: only 4% work in town. 1.8% of Blackhawk residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Blackhawk has added 88 jobs, to 419 in 2023.
| Blackhawk | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 14.3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 99% of South Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 83.2°.
Blackhawk has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Among 35 South Dakota towns, just 1 have a higher January low than Blackhawk. Blackhawk’s July high is 83°F.
| Blackhawk | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 9°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 85°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 35 South Dakota towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Blackhawk. The typical Blackhawk home is worth about $357,000, up 2.2% in a year, 12% above the South Dakota typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blackhawk. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
22 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak
28 mi State parkCuster State Park
36 mi National ParkWind Cave National Park606K visitors a year
7 mi MuseumDinosaur ParkMount Rushmore National Memorial: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Crazy Horse Memorial: Jeffreylcooke, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Black Elk Peak: BHrock at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Custer State Park: Guimir, Public domain · Wind Cave National Park: USGS/USGov, Public domain · Dinosaur Park: Minnesota Jones at en.wikipedia, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Blackhawk
About 5 of every 100 Blackhawk residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
CDP in South Dakota, United States
Black Hawk (sometimes Blackhawk) is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,026 at the 2020 census. Black Hawk has been assigned the ZIP code of 57718. Located along Interstate 90, Black Hawk is part of the Rapid City metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Blackhawk.
Blackhawk reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Blackhawk with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Blackhawk grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #29 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades A− for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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