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South Dakota›Pennington County

Green ValleySD

A town of 1,642.

Is Green Valley a good place to live?

Green Valley’s best subject grades are a B+ for incomes and health; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Green Valley’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both South Dakota’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town in South Dakota scores lower than Green Valley on walkability. Green Valley's public schools trail 70% of South Dakota towns on state tests and graduation. No town in South Dakota scores lower than Green Valley on the outdoors. Green Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Green Valley for work

Where Green Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

74% → Rapid City Rapid City 74% 4% → Box Elder Box Elder 4% 4% → Sioux Falls Sioux Falls 4% 1% → Rapid Valley Rapid Valley 1% 1% → Blackhawk Blackhawk 1% 1% → Custer Custer 1% Green Valley · 0% stay
42jobs based in Green Valley
0%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Green Valley grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Green Valley is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Green Valley: who provides what

Green Valley is unincorporated, so Pennington County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerBlack Hills Energy15.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRapid Valley Sanitary DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPennington CountyPennington County provides services here
SchoolsRapid City School District 51-4Douglas School District 51-12 districts serve Green Valley; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteIn personSouth Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections herePennington County AuditorPennington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code5770357703 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Green Valley.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+

About three in four of Green Valley’s working residents commute to Rapid City

Most working residents leave Green Valley for work: only 0% work in town. 1% of Green Valley residents live below the poverty line, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Jobs based in Green Valley grew to 42 in 2023, 22 more than in 2013.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Green Valley0%
Rapid City74%
Box Elder4%
Sioux Falls4%
Rapid Valley1%
6 mi
median commute distance
42
jobs based in Green Valley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 1% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthB+

Green Valley is healthier than 66% of U.S. towns

Green Valley tracks South Dakota closely on all 26 CDC measures. 21% of adults binge drink in Green Valley.

66%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
Green ValleySouth Dakota townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)21%19%16%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)32%30%36%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)15%15%17%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)16%14%14%
26 measures vs. South Dakota
0 better26 too close to call0 worse
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Green Valley has snowy winters and pleasant summers

Green Valley has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Green Valley is 87°F.

49″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter14–38°
Spring33–58°
Summer56–83°
Fall35–62°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C

High risk in Green Valley, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.

60risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
60High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Nearby attractions

Mount Rushmore National Memorial and 16 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Green Valley. Close and well known come first.

All 21 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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 · Badlands National Park: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Black Elk Peak: BHrock at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Custer State Park: Guimir, Public domain · Wind Cave National Park: USGS/USGov, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Green Valley

15pages on Green Valley
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Green Valley

About Green Valley

CDP in South Dakota, United States

Green Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,051 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
3.8 sq mi
Area code
605

Green Valley’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Green Valley.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownSD rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Green Valley——B−—CB+
Rapid Valley#20B−B−—CB+

Green Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Green Valley and Rapid Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Green Valley with a neighbor →

Questions about Green Valley

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Green Valley, SD expensive?

Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.