Rapid City vs Bismarck
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,400 in Rapid City and $300,300 in Bismarck.
- Households earn more in Bismarck ($78,387 vs $70,870 median).
- Rapid City has the warmer winter: January highs of 36°F vs 23°F.
- South Dakota has no state income tax on wages; North Dakota's top rate is 2.5%.
Side by side
| Rapid City, SD | Bismarck, ND | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 80,589 | 77,963 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.8% | +5.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,440 | 2,248 |
| Median age | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $70,870 | $78,387 |
| Median home value | $299,400 | $300,300 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,109 | $999 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.2 | 91.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 72.6 | 84.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,900 | $68,300 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 66% |
| Top state income tax | None | 2.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.11% | 7.09% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.5 | 15.6 |
| Work from home | 10% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Poverty rate | 12.5% | 9.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 36° / 13° | 23° / 2° |
| July high / low | 86° / 59° | 85° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 17 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 | 20 |
| Nights below freezing | 174 | 184 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 78.6 | 85.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 62% | 77% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.8% | +6.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +33.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Rapid City: June and August to September. Bismarck: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Rapid City weather by month and Bismarck weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $66,900 in Rapid City and $68,300 in Bismarck. Moving from Rapid City to Bismarck, you would need about $76,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Rapid City and Bismarck
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Rapid City and Bismarck.
Which would you pick?
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