Box Elder, South Dakota čhaŋšúška | |
|---|---|
 Box Elder City Hall | |
| Nickname: Gateway to the Black Hills | |
 Location of Box Elder, South Dakota | |
| Coordinates:44°06′39″N103°04′52″W / 44.110941°N 103.081066°W /44.110941; -103.081066 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| Counties | Pennington,Meade |
| Founded | 1907[1][2] |
| Incorporated | May 12, 1965[3] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Larry Larson |
| • Alderman | Kirk Beauchamp John Talich Patrick Schubert, Sr. Steven Bixel |
| • President | Michael Knight Rick Davis |
| Area | |
• City | 14.858 sq mi (38.482 km2) |
| • Land | 14.834 sq mi (38.420 km2) |
| • Water | 0.024 sq mi (0.061 km2) 0.16% |
| Elevation | 3,045 ft (928 m) |
| Population | |
• City | 11,746 |
• Estimate (2024)[9] | 13,887 |
| • Density | 936.0/sq mi (361.39/km2) |
| • Urban | 11,386[6] |
| • Metro | 156,227 (US:280th) |
| • Combined | 185,036 (US:149th) |
| Time zone | UTC–7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code | 57719 |
| Area code | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-06620 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1267290[7] |
| Sales tax | 6.2%[10] |
| Website | boxeldersd.us |
Box Elder (Lakota:čhaŋšúška;[11] "box elder maple") is a city inPennington andMeade Counties, South Dakota, United States. The population was 11,746 at the2020 census,[8] and was estimated to be 13,887 in 2024,[9] making it theninth-most populous city in South Dakota.Ellsworth Air Force Base lies on the northeast side of the city, and it is a suburb ofRapid City.
Box Elder was named from nearbyBoxelder Creek.[12]
Indie Rock bandPavement has a song on theirsecond album named after the city.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.858 square miles (38.48 km2), of which 14.834 square miles (38.42 km2) is land and 0.024 square miles (0.06 km2) (0.16%) is water.[5]
Box Elder is located within minutes ofEllsworth Air Force Base and surrounds it on three sides.
| Climate data for Rapid City, South Dakota (Rapid City Regional Airport), 1981−2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) | 75 (24) | 83 (28) | 93 (34) | 98 (37) | 109 (43) | 111 (44) | 107 (42) | 104 (40) | 94 (34) | 83 (28) | 75 (24) | 111 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 40 (4) | 48 (9) | 58 (14) | 68 (20) | 78 (26) | 87 (31) | 86 (30) | 76 (24) | 61 (16) | 47 (8) | 37 (3) | 60 (16) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13 (−11) | 15 (−9) | 23 (−5) | 32 (0) | 42 (6) | 51 (11) | 58 (14) | 57 (14) | 46 (8) | 34 (1) | 22 (−6) | 13 (−11) | 34 (1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) | −31 (−35) | −21 (−29) | 1 (−17) | 18 (−8) | 31 (−1) | 39 (4) | 38 (3) | 18 (−8) | −2 (−19) | −19 (−28) | −30 (−34) | −31 (−35) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.30 (7.6) | 0.46 (12) | 0.93 (24) | 1.80 (46) | 3.22 (82) | 2.53 (64) | 1.85 (47) | 1.56 (40) | 1.29 (33) | 1.42 (36) | 0.53 (13) | 0.42 (11) | 16.31 (415.6) |
| Source: The Weather Channel (Historical Monthly Averages)[13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 607 | — | |
| 1980 | 3,186 | 424.9% | |
| 1990 | 2,680 | −15.9% | |
| 2000 | 2,841 | 6.0% | |
| 2010 | 7,800 | 174.6% | |
| 2020 | 11,746 | 50.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 13,887 | [9] | 18.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] 2020 Census[8] | |||
As of the 2023American Community Survey, there are 4,311 estimated households in Box Elder with an average of 2.82 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $73,698. Approximately 7.4% of the city's population lives at or below thepoverty line. Box Elder has an estimated 65.8% employment rate, with 29.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.2% holding a high school diploma.[15]
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (97.0%), Spanish (1.1%), Indo-European (0.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (1.0%), and Other (0.5%).
The median age in the city was 28.6 years.
| Race / ethnicity(NH = non-Hispanic) | Pop. 2000[16] | Pop. 2010[17] | Pop. 2020[18] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,327 | 5,901 | 8,340 | 81.91% | 75.65% | 71.00% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 62 | 382 | 402 | 2.18% | 4.90% | 3.42% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 148 | 311 | 787 | 5.21% | 3.99% | 6.70% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 55 | 167 | 216 | 1.94% | 2.14% | 1.84% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 29 | 41 | 0.11% | 0.37% | 0.35% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 13 | 68 | 0.00% | 0.17% | 0.58% |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | 145 | 377 | 984 | 5.10% | 4.83% | 8.38% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 101 | 620 | 908 | 3.56% | 7.95% | 7.73% |
| Total | 2,841 | 7,800 | 11,746 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census, there were 11,746 people, 4,123 households, and 2,992 families residing in the city.[19] Thepopulation density was 809.73 inhabitants per square mile (312.6/km2). There were 4,373 housing units at an average density of 301.38 per square mile (116.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.61%White, 3.62%African American, 7.39%Native American, 1.90%Asian, 0.35%Pacific Islander, 2.11% from some other races and 11.03% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.73% of the population.[20]
As of the2010 census, there were 7,800 people, 2,443 households, and 1,968 families residing in the city. The population density was 561.15 inhabitants per square mile (216.7/km2). There were 2,828 housing units at an average density of 203.45 per square mile (78.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.51%White, 5.10%African American, 4.45%Native American, 2.19%Asian, 0.37%Pacific Islander, 2.36% from some other races and 6.01% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.95% of the population.
There were 2,443 households, 55.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.4% were non-families. 15.1% of households were one person, and 2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.26.
The median age was 23.5 years. 33.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 13% were from 45 to 64, and 2.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.
As of the2000 census, there were 2,841 people, 993 households, and 750 families residing in the city. The population density was 489.6 inhabitants per square mile (189.0/km2). There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 184.8 per square mile (71.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.42%White, 2.29%African American, 5.60%Native American, 2.08%Asian, 0.11%Pacific Islander, 0.70% from some other races and 5.81% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.56% of the population.
There were 993 households, 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% weremarried couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 17.3% of households were one person, and 1.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.20.
The age distribution was 34.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median household income was $32,344 and the median family income was $35,020. Males had a median income of $24,596 versus $17,313 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $12,692. About 13.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over.
Douglas School District 51-1 serves families in most portions of Box Elder,[21][22] and those living on Ellsworth AFB.[23] The school district operates six schools in Box Elder:
The school's athletics teams are the Douglas Patriots.[23]
A portion of Box Elder is inRapid City School District 51-4.[21]
Municipalities and communities ofMeade County, South Dakota,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Former CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofPennington County, South Dakota,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Former CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |