Boulder CanyonSD
A town of 841 in South Dakota.
Is Boulder Canyon a good place to live?
Boulder Canyon’s typical journey to work is 50 minutes, against 17 minutes in South Dakota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Boulder Canyon. Boulder Canyon has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
841 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Boulder Canyon.
Boulder Canyon stands out in South Dakota and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
Of the losses FEMA expects in Boulder Canyon, 71% come from inland flooding and 12% from wildfires. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Boulder Canyon has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most people who work leave Boulder Canyon to do it: just 1% work in town. Since 2013, Boulder Canyon has added 26 jobs, to 34 in 2023. Boulder Canyon: 1.1% of residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 7 miles.
| Boulder Canyon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than South Dakota overall
Among adults 25 and older in Boulder Canyon, 38% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are just over one in ten residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 29% of residents (18% statewide).
| Boulder Canyon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 44% and 73% women
The Census survey reached too few of Boulder Canyon’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.5 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Boulder Canyon | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 2.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 26.3% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 9% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 26.3% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.4% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
The climate in Boulder Canyon brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 15°, with about 184 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More of Boulder Canyon’s adults have high blood pressure than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Boulder Canyon. In Boulder Canyon, 15% of adults have diabetes. CDC measures, 26 in all: Boulder Canyon beats South Dakota on 6 and trails on 9.
| Boulder Canyon | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Boulder Canyon | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15% | 18.8% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 12.7% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.7% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Boulder Canyon sell for about $391K
For households in Boulder Canyon, the share who are owner-occupiers is 68%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Boulder Canyon
Mount Rushmore National Memorial and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boulder Canyon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
37 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak
32 mi National forestBlack Hills National Forest12 mi Ski areaTerry Peak Ski Area28 runs · 1,075 ft vertical
28 mi Stadium & arenaRushmore Plaza Civic CenterPhoto credits
Mount 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 · Black Hills National Forest: Vocaro at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rushmore Plaza Civic Center: Mr. Satterly, WTFPL
.jpg){kind=link}
Moving to Boulder Canyon: who provides what
Boulder Canyon is unincorporated, so Lawrence 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.
99% of working residents leave Boulder Canyon for work
Where Boulder Canyon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Boulder Canyon
About 1 of every 100 Boulder Canyon residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About Boulder Canyon
Census-designated place in South Dakota, United States
Boulder Canyon is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 561 at the 2020 census. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. It is in the eastern part of the county, on the northern edge of the Black Hills. It sits at the head of Boulder Canyon, formed by Bear Butte Creek, which drains northeast to the Great Plains. U.S. Route 14A runs through the community, leading northeast down the canyon 6 miles (10 km) to Sturgis and west 7 miles (11 km) to Deadwood.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 3,960 ft
Questions about Boulder Canyon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Boulder Canyon, SD a good place to live?
Boulder Canyon has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Say something about Boulder Canyon.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.