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Hill City, SD

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

834
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

34.2
years ∙ half population younger than 34.2, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
28%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.4%
foreign-born population
99.6%Native
0.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Hill City is a city within Pennington County, South Dakota, United States.
Location
City in Pennington County, SD, US
Co-ordinates
DEC43.931815° N, 103.568736° W
DMS43° 55′ 54.53″ N, 103° 34′ 07.45″ W

Population Density & area

636.6/sq mi (245.3/km²)
Total Area
1.32 sq mi (3.42 km²)
Land Area
1.31 sq mi (3.4 km²) · 99.44%
Water Area
0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²) · 0.56%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

54.7% male
Male 54.7%
Female 45.3%
males per 100 females
Hill City 120.6
Pennington County 104.1
South Dakota 103.1

Nativity

0.4%
foreign-born population
99.6%Native
0.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Hill City 0.4%
Pennington County 2.5%
South Dakota 4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

34.2
years ∙ half population younger than 34.2, half older
Hill City
34.2
Pennington County
40.1
South Dakota
38

Dependency ratio

Low High
76.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Hill City 76.7
Pennington County 72.9
South Dakota 73

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 32% 22% 24.2%
Working age (18-64) 56.6% 57.9% 57.8%
Senior (65+) 11.4% 20.1% 18%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 76.7 72.9 73
Child dependency ratio 56.6 38 41.9
Old-age dependency ratio 20.1 34.8 31.1
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
84.1%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
6.1%
Other
9.8%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
28%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Hill City 28%
Pennington County 38.2%
South Dakota 35.3%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Hill City population
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Hispanic or Latino 6.1% 5.7% 4.8%
Mexican 5.5% 3.6% 2.6%
Puerto Rican 0.2% 0.5% 0.4%
Cuban 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.4% 1.5% 1.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 93.9% 94.3% 95.2%
One race 84.2% 86.8% 90.8%
White 84.1% 77.8% 79.8%
Black or African American 0% 1.1% 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 6% 7.1%
Asian 0% 1.2% 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.7% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 9.7% 7.5% 4.4%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

78.9% family
Family 78.9%
Non family 21.1%
% family households
Hill City 78.9%
Pennington County 59.9%
South Dakota 61.3%

Average household size

2.95
persons per household
Hill City
2.95
Pennington County
2.37
South Dakota
2.39

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Hill City population
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Total households 280 46,370 365,544
Average houshold size 2.95 2.37 2.39
Family households 221 27,786 224,058
Average family size 3.38 3.01 3.05
Married couple family 203 21,628 176,597
Other families 18 6,158 47,461
Male householder 6 2,331 17,711
Female householder 12 3,827 29,750
Non-family households 59 18,584 141,486
One-person households 49 15,276 116,755
Male householder 20 7,324 57,880
Senior (65+) living alone 8 2,220 17,403
Female householder 29 7,952 58,875
Senior (65+) living alone 13 4,046 29,381
Other living arrangements 10 3,308 24,731

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

373
housing units
Hill City 373
Pennington County 51,681
South Dakota 408,584

Occupancy status

75.1% occupied
Occupied 75.1%
Vacant 24.9%
vacancy rate
Hill City 24.9%
Pennington County 10.3%
South Dakota 10.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.9%
Single family houses
Single family houses
75.9%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
8.3%
Mobile homes
15.8%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1995
Half of houses were built before 1995, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
3.5%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
10.8%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
58.5%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
27.4%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.6 5.8 5.9
1–3 rooms 8.9% 16.5% 13.6%
4–6 rooms 60% 44% 44.6%
7+ rooms 31.2% 39.2% 41.8%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 3.1% 1.9%
1 bedroom 6.7% 9.6% 10.1%
2 bedrooms 21.2% 27.6% 26.4%
3 bedrooms 57.1% 32.6% 32%
4+ bedrooms 15% 27% 29.6%
At a glance
Median year built 1995 1984 1982
Total housing units 373 51,681 408,584
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

73.9% owners
Renter-occupied 26.1%
Owner-occupied 73.9%
homeownership rate
Hill City 73.9%
Pennington County 69.3%
South Dakota 68.6%

Average household size

3.12
Owner-occupied
2.48
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Hill City 3.12
Pennington County 2.49
South Dakota 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Total occupied units 280 46,370 365,544
Year moved in
2020 or later 26.8% 27.6% 25.4%
2010 to 2019 42.9% 39.5% 39.7%
2000 to 2009 20.4% 16.4% 16.2%
1999 or earlier 10% 16.5% 18.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.6% 98.6% 97.7%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.9% 1.6%
1.51 or more 0.4% 0.5% 0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 1.1% 5.6% 5.2%
1 vehicle 22.5% 30.2% 28.4%
2 vehicles 37.1% 35.5% 36.3%
3 or more vehicles 39.3% 28.7% 30.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 41.4% 65.3% 63.1%
Electricity 49.3% 31.4% 32.4%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.5% 1.3%
All other fuels 8.9% 1.9% 2.4%
No fuel used 0.4% 0.9% 0.8%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.7% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 1.1% 0.9%
No telephone service available 6.4% 0.7% 1.1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$286,200
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Hill City
$286,200
Pennington County
$302,200
South Dakota
$257,400

Housing Cost Burden

21.8%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
21.8%
Owners without a mortgage
10.1%
Renters
14.1%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Property value
Median Value $286,200 $302,200 $257,400
Under $100,000 19.3% 9.7% 16.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 3.9% 12.6% 19.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 31.9% 27.3% 24.4%
$300,000 - $500,000 39.6% 31.9% 26%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 4.3% 16.2% 12.1%
$1,000,000 and more 1% 2.4% 1.8%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 55.6% 59% 54.5%
Without a mortgage 44.4% 41% 45.5%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,875 $1,803 $1,680
Without a mortgage $812 $689 $617
Gross rent
Median rent $1,345 $1,120 $946

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

34.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Hill City 34.7%
Pennington County 34.6%
South Dakota 31.9%

Adults without a high school diploma

1.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Hill City 1.9%
Pennington County 5.4%
South Dakota 6.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

206
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
3.4%
K–12
92.7%
College / Undergraduate
1.5%
Graduate / Professional
2.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

0%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Hill City
0%
Pennington County
31.6%
South Dakota
35.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Total enrolled (age 3+) 206 25,056 216,085
Nursery / preschool 3.4% 6.1% 6.1%
K–12 92.7% 72.1% 73%
Kindergarten 13.1% 7.6% 5.6%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 32.5% 21.3% 22.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 23.8% 22.5% 22.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 23.3% 20.8% 22.3%
College or graduate school 3.9% 21.8% 20.9%
College, undergraduate 1.5% 18.8% 17.1%
Graduate, professional school 2.4% 3% 3.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 0% 31.6% 35.1%
School type
Public school 91.7% 83.9% 86.9%
Private school 8.3% 16.1% 13.1%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

522
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
1.3%
HS graduate
30.5%
Some college no degree
25.7%
Associates degree
7.3%
Bachelors degree
24.1%
Graduate or professional degree
10.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
66.7% · 33.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
57.1% · 42.9%
HS graduate
61% · 39%
Some college no degree
56.7% · 43.3%
Associates degree
18.4% · 81.6%
Bachelors degree
34.9% · 65.1%
Graduate or professional degree
36.4% · 63.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Population (25+) 522 79,182 603,746
Less than 9th grade 0.6% 2.1% 2.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 1.3% 3.3% 4.2%
High school diploma or GED 30.5% 27% 29%
Some college, no degree 25.7% 21.3% 19.9%
Associate's degree 7.3% 11.7% 12.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 34.7% 34.6% 31.9%
Bachelor's degree 24.1% 22% 21.9%
Graduate or professional 10.5% 12.7% 10%
High School or higher 98.1% 94.6% 93.2%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,250
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$40,078
Some college or associates
$43,750
Bachelors degree
$41,875
Graduate or professional degree
$61,667

Poverty Rate

3.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
20%
HS graduate
2.5%
Some college or associates
2.3%
Bachelors degree or higher
3.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Hill City Pennington County South Dakota
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $42,250 $47,874 $49,402
Less than high school graduate $— $35,096 $33,790
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $40,078 $37,925 $40,544
Some college or associate's degree $43,750 $45,755 $47,061
Bachelor's degree $41,875 $55,597 $58,363
Graduate or professional degree $61,667 $78,860 $72,377
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 20% 27.2% 28%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 2.5% 14% 13.2%
Some college or associate's degree 2.3% 9% 8.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.9% 3.7% 4.2%

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