Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 555 jobs.
32% of residents are under 18 in Hill City, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. No town among the 31 in South Dakota we compare has a higher typical home value than Hill City. Hill City has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Harney Peak Tin Mining Company Buildings and Harney Peak Hotel. Hill City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Hill City beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1888.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hill City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw7 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
5 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak
Big draw39 mi National ParkBadlands National Park1.1M visitors a year
15 mi State parkCuster State Park
21 mi National ParkWind Cave National Park606K visitors a yearMount 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 · Badlands National Park: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Custer State Park: Guimir, Public domain · Wind Cave National Park: USGS/USGov, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hill City, and how to reach them.
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 Hill City.
Most working residents leave Hill City for work: only 15% work in town. 2.6% of residents live below the poverty line in Hill City, below both South Dakota’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The median household income in Hill City is $95,000.
| Hill City | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.6% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hill City School District 51-2. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill City Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 247 | C+ |
| Hill City High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 158 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical Hill City home is worth about $479,000, up 2.5% in a year, 51% above the South Dakota typical home. Among 34 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher median rent than Hill City.
| Hill City | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,345 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hill City’s July high is 80°F. Hill City has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 32% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (18% statewide). Hill City has grown 7.4% since 2020, to 938 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Hill City | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 34.2 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 33% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.5 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Hill City | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 20.4% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.5% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.2% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.7% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Hill City beats the South Dakota average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 13% of Hill City adults report frequent mental distress.
| Hill City | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hill City | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 13.1% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Hill City | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | — | 14 |
| 2. Major Lake Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Charolette Tracy Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Hill City; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Hill City residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Hill City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Hill City on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in South Dakota, United States
Hill City is the oldest existing city in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 872 at the 2020 census, but as of 2024, the population is now over 1,000. Hill City is located 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Rapid City on U.S. Highway 16 and on U.S. Route 385 that connects Deadwood to Hot Springs. Hill City is known as the "Heart of the Hills", a distinction derived from its proximity to both the geographical center of the Black Hills, and the local tourist destinations. Near Hill City, there is a monumental peak dating back hundreds of years. Black Elk Peak was once on reservation lands where many Native people used to hunt and gather but they also used it as a pra…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hill City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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