Census Data for Box Elder

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Box Elder a population of 10,175 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Box Elder a population of 7,800 people.

The city of Box Elder is located in Pennington County. The 2010 Census gave Pennington County; a population of 100,948 people. This means that Box Elder had 7.73% of the county's total population, making it Pennington's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, South Dakota had a population of 814,180 people, meaning that Box Elder had 0.96% of the total population of South Dakota - making it the state's 16th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Box Elder has a total area of 13.91 square miles [36 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.01 square miles [0 km²]).

Pennington County has a land area of 2,776 square miles [7,191.2 km²]. At 13.9 square miles [36 km²], Box Elder has 0.5% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Box Elder, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Box Elder reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Box Elder might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   44° 6' 43"   (or 44.11°)
  • Lon:   -103° 4' 33"   (or -103.08°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Box Elder had 2,828 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 7,800 people, this averages 2.76 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Box Elder had a land area of 13.9 square miles [36 km²]. This translates to 203.2 Housing Units per square mile [78.5 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Box Elder had 1,072 Housing Units, a population of 2,841 people and a land area of 5.8 square miles [15 km²]. This gives a density of 2.65 people per Housing Unit and 184.6 Housing Units per square mile [71.3 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Box Elder and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Pennington County ...

The community of Box Elder is primarily located in Pennington County<4>. A portion of Box Elder extends into Meade County.

The county had a population of 100,948 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 7,800 people, Box Elder represented 7.73% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Box Elder has a population density of 560 people per square mile [216.4 people/km²], Pennington County averages 36.36 people per square mile [14.04 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Pennington County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Box Elder, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Box Elder. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Box Elder or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Box Elder, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Box Elder.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   44.112132°   (or 44°6'43" N)
  • Lon:   -103.075920°   (or -103°4'33" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   44.115349°   (or 44°6'55" N)
  • Lon:   -103.081997°   (or -103°4'55" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,976 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1267290) to Box Elder. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Box Elder. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   44.119432°   (or 44°7'9" N)
  • Lon:   -103.072399°   (or -103°4'20" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2,816 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Box Elder. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Box Elder.

Miscellaneous Information for Box Elder ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Pennington County or the city of Box Elder:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Box Elder:
  • GNIS ID for Box Elder: 1267290
  • GNIS ID for Pennington County: 1266995
  • GNIS ID for State of South Dakota: 1785534

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 46 (South Dakota)
  • County Code: 103 (Pennington County)
  • Place Code: 06620 (Box Elder)
  • State & County Code: 46/103 (South Dakota / Pennington County)
  • State & Place Code: 46/06620 (South Dakota / Box Elder)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Box Elder is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Box Elder.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Box Elder. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Pennington County: www.co.pennington.sd.us/

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)