Census place 4606620

Box Elder

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Box Elder city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Box Elder.

According to the 2025 estimate, Box Elder has a population of 13,936 and 938 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 14 covered South Dakota places are: median gross rent is $1,491, above the comparison median of $953; population density is 938/sq mi, below the comparison median of 1,586/sq mi; and typical commute is 20.1 minutes, above the comparison median of 14.8 minutes. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

median gross rent
$1,491
Above the comparison median of $953
population density
938/sq mi
Below the comparison median of 1,586/sq mi
typical commute
20.1 minutes
Above the comparison median of 14.8 minutes

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Box Elder's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population
13,936
2025 estimate
Annual change
+0.2%
Population estimate
Density
938/sq mi
14.9 sq mi land area
Median age
28.8 years
ACS 5-year estimate

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income
$73,008
Median home value
$302,100
Median gross rent
$1,491
Bachelor’s degree or higher
28%
Typical commute
20.1 min
Drive-alone commute
75.8%
Public transit commute
0.8%
Walked to work
2%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes
51.8%
Renters paying 30%+ of income
43.4%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+
59.3%
Unemployed residents 16+
3.1%
Working from home
6.9%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband
93.3%
Homes built 2020+
5%
Households without a vehicle
1.3%
Households with children
42.7%
Residents with a disability
13.8%
Residents without insurance
10%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Pennington County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000
11
Fire declarations
5
Severe Storm declarations
3
Flood declarations
2

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: RAPID CITY RGNL AP (5 mi from place center)
Average high
59.6°F
Average low
33.7°F
Annual rainfall
17.4"
Annual snowfall
48.5"

Month by month

A year in Box Elder.

Typical high and low °F
0°F20°F40°F60°F80°F100°F
JFMAMJJASOND
Typical precipitation inches

Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Channahon, IL

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
14,530
Median home
$327,900

Pleasant Hill, IA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
11,239
Median home
$295,100

Pierre, SD

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
13,848
Median home
$230,700

Keep exploring

Compare Box Elder with Channahon