Census Data for Rapid City

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Rapid City a population of 77,914 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Rapid City a population of 67,956 people.

The city of Rapid City is located in Pennington County. The 2010 Census gave Pennington County; a population of 100,948 people. This means that Rapid City had 67.3% of the county's total population, making it Pennington's most populous community.

At the same time, South Dakota had a population of 814,180 people, meaning that Rapid City had 8.35% of the total population of South Dakota - making it the state's 2nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Rapid City has a total area of 55.5 square miles [143.7 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.08 square miles [0.2 km²]).

Pennington County has a land area of 2,776 square miles [7,191.2 km²]. At 55.4 square miles [143.5 km²], Rapid City has 2% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Rapid City, 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 Rapid City reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Rapid City 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° 4' 15"   (or 44.07°)
  • Lon:   -103° 13' 4"   (or -103.22°)
  • 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, Rapid City had 30,254 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 67,956 people, this averages 2.25 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Rapid City had a land area of 55.4 square miles [143.5 km²]. This translates to 545 Housing Units per square mile [210.5 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Rapid City had 25,096 Housing Units, a population of 59,607 people and a land area of 44.59 square miles [115.5 km²]. This gives a density of 2.38 people per Housing Unit and 561 Housing Units per square mile [217 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Rapid City and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Pennington County ...

Rapid City is located in Pennington County<4> and is the County Seat for Pennington County.

The county had a population of 100,948 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 67,956 people, Rapid City represented 67.3% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Rapid City has a population density of 1,224 people per square mile [472.9 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 Rapid City, 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 Rapid City. 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 Rapid City 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 Rapid City, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Rapid City.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   44.071071°   (or 44°4'15" N)
  • Lon:   -103.217924°   (or -103°13'4" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   44.076188°   (or 44°4'34" N)
  • Lon:   -103.228299°   (or -103°13'41" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3,296 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 (#1267543) to Rapid City. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Rapid City. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   44.075266°   (or 44°4'30" N)
  • Lon:   -103.233237°   (or -103°13'59" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 4,292 feet to the east<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Rapid City. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Rapid City.

Miscellaneous Information for Rapid City ...

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 Rapid City:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Rapid City:
  • GNIS ID for Rapid City: 1267543
  • 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: 52980 (Rapid City)
  • State & County Code: 46/103 (South Dakota / Pennington County)
  • State & Place Code: 46/52980 (South Dakota / Rapid City)

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

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Rapid City, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Rapid City. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Rapid City:57701<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Rapid City: www.rcgov.org/

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)