Spearfish Post Office (Old) · National Register of Historic Places
Mountain Plains’s story
Mountain Plains in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1900 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Mountain PlainsSD
A town of 350.
1 bordering townMap →
Spearfish Post Office (Old) · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
350
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$613K
Census ACS
Household income
$249K
median
Median age
63.4
years
Jobs based here
29
A commuter town
Is Mountain Plains a good place to live?
Mountain Plains’ median age is 63.4 years, above both the South Dakota town median (39.5 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Mountain Plains. Spearfish Post Office (Old) and Daktoa Tin and Gold Mine is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mountain Plains has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
350 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
SpearfishMountain Plains
Getting set up
Moving to Mountain Plains: who provides what
Mountain Plains is unincorporated, so Lawrence County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerBlack Hills Energy15.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMountain Plains 2 Homeowners Assoc1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLawrence CountyLawrence County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereLawrence County AuditorLawrence County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code5778357783 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 Mountain Plains.
Work & commute
Mountain Plains stands out in South Dakota and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally
0.6% of working residents work locally in Mountain Plains, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 8%. The average trip to work in Mountain Plains is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Spearfish (44%), Rapid City (12%) and Deadwood (5%).
1%work in town
| Mountain Plains | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Mountain Plains1%
Spearfish44%
Rapid City12%
Deadwood5%
Sturgis4%
9 mi
median commute distance
29
jobs based in Mountain Plains
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mountain Plains has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Mountain Plains has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 15° and about 71 inches of snow falls in a winter.
71″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–38°
Spring32–57°
Summer54–82°
Fall34–60°
Oct 2
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Mountain Plains faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities.
67risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Mountain Plains is
Mountain Plains beats the South Dakota average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Mountain Plains. Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Mountain Plains.
| Mountain Plains | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
4 better14 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Mountain Plains | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 12.6% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.2% | 9.2% |
Monument Health Spearfish Hospital
2.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Terry Peak Ski Area and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mountain Plains. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Ski areaTerry Peak Ski Area28 runs · 1,075 ft vertical11 mi Ski areaDeer Mountain Village52 runs · 615 ft vertical
40 mi Scenic railwayBlack Hills Central Railroad9 mi MuseumAdams Museum & House
40 mi Scenic railwayBlack Hills Central Railroad9 mi MuseumAdams Museum & HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Black Hills Central Railroad: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mountain Plains
15pages on Mountain Plains
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mountain Plains
About 4 of every 100 Mountain Plains residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Mountain Plains for work
Where Mountain Plains’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
29jobs based in Mountain Plains
1%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Mountain Plains
Census-designated place in South Dakota, United States
Mountain Plains is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 327 at the 2020 census. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. It is in the northern part of the county, on the northern edge of the Black Hills. It is bordered to the north by the city of Spearfish. U.S. Route 14A forms the eastern edge of the CDP, following the canyon of Spearfish Creek.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 4,193 ft
Questions about Mountain Plains
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mountain Plains, SD a good place to live?
Mountain Plains has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.