P.O. Box 253, Hill City, SD 57745
(605) 574-2368
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pennington County Profile
The 2,792 square mile county of Pennington is located in southwestern South Dakota on the Wyoming Border. Rapid City is the county seat and the second largest city in South Dakota. Rapid City is also home to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Much of the western part of the county is part of the Black Hills National Forest and a portion of the southeastern part of the county is in the Badlands National Park. Pennington County is home to the world famous Wall Drug and South Dakota's own faces, Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Harney Peak is located in Pennington County, which is the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies.
Pennington County has many old caves, canyons, gulches, passes, and mine sites. Interstate 90 runs through the county along with U.S. Highway 16 and State Highways 44, 79 and 240.
| Demographics | Population |
88,925
|
| Median Age |
33
|
|
| Number of Households |
30,634
|
|
| Median Households Income |
$35,133
|
|
| Labor Force | Unemployment Rate (Seasonally adjusted annual average) | |
|
2001
|
2.00%
|
|
|
2000
|
2.50%
|
|
|
1999
|
2.60%
|
|
|
1998
|
3.10%
|
|
|
1997
|
3.30%
|
|
|
Non-Agricultural Employment Report by Place for Work
|
||
| Mining |
0
|
|
| Construction |
3,700
|
|
| Manufacturing |
3,800
|
|
| Transportation/Public Utilities |
1,500
|
|
| Wholesale Trade |
1,900
|
|
| Retail Trade |
14,500
|
|
| Finance/Insurance/Real Estate |
3,100
|
|
| Service |
14,300
|
|
| Government |
7,000
|
|
| Total |
49,800
|
|
| Commute Times |
Number
|
Percentage
|
|
Less then 15 minutes
|
16.975
|
44.90%
|
|
15 to 29 minutes
|
16.036
|
42.40%
|
|
30 minutes or more
|
4.786
|
12.70%
|
|
Median Time
|
17 Minutes
|
|
| Labor Participation Rate |
Male
|
72% |
|
Female
|
66% | |
|
Overall
|
69% | |
|
|
|
|
| Leading Employers | Ellsworth AFB - Government Air Base |
3,967
|
| Rapid City Regional Hospital - Medical Service |
3,866
|
|
| Ellsworth Air Force Base - Military |
3,000
|
|
| Rapid City School District - Education |
1,934
|
|
| Conseco Financial Corporation- Financial |
1,300
|
|
| Federal Government - Government |
1,250
|
|
| State for South Dakota |
1,135
|
|
| Nash Finch - Wholesale Grocery |
600
|
|
| Spiegel Telservice Inc. - Customer Service |
600
|
|
| City of Rapid City - Government |
570
|
|
| New and Expanding Companies | ASI - New - Customer Service |
300
|
| Durst Investments - Expansion - Motel/Restaurant |
56
|
|
| Heartland America - New - Customer Service |
54
|
|
| Casto Travel - New - Satellite Travel Agency |
34
|
|
| Walker Napa Store - Expansion - Retail |
22
|
|
| BH Fed. Credit Union - Expansion - Financial |
3
|
|
| Pankratz - Expansion - Rushmore Borlgum Story/Motel |
3
|
|
| Closest Four Year Institution | Black Hills State University - Spearfish |
3,836
|
| National American University - Rapid City |
1,005
|
|
| South Dakota School of Mines & Tech. - Rapid City |
|
|
| Closest Vocational/Technical Institute | Western Dakota Technical Institute - Rapid City |
806
|
|
|
||
| Average Salary by Occupation | NS = No statistics |
|
|
Professional
|
Accountant |
$16.45
|
|
|
Engineer |
NS
|
|
|
Management Trainee |
NS
|
|
|
Programmer/Analyst |
$20.47
|
|
|
Website Designer |
$22.01
|
|
Retail
|
Hospitality Clerk |
$7.64
|
|
|
Retail Store Clerk |
$8.10
|
|
|
Stock Room Clerk |
$7.83
|
|
Clerical
|
Accounting Clerk |
$9.82
|
|
|
Customer Service Representative |
$10.02
|
|
|
Data Entry Clerk |
$8.22
|
| Executive Secretary |
$12.40
|
|
| Receptionist |
$8.20
|
|
| Telesales Representative |
NS
|
|
|
Unskilled
|
General Laborer |
$8.27
|
|
|
Hand Packer |
$8.27
|
|
|
Light Assembly |
$8.27
|
|
|
Material Handler |
$8.27
|
|
|
Warehouse Person |
$8.27
|
|
Semi-Skilled
|
Fork Lift Operator |
$10.91
|
|
|
Machine Operator |
$10.91
|
|
Skilled
|
Machine Maintenance |
$10.35
|
| Machinist |
$12.02
|
|
| Tool & Die |
NS
|
|
| Welder |
$10.29
|
|
|
Technical
|
Electronics Technical |
$16.44
|
| Medical/Lab Tech |
$14.92
|
|
| Network Technical |
$22.01
|
|
| Machine Programmer |
NS
|
|
|
|
||
| Labor – Management Relations | Percentage of Workers Organized | |
| All Workers |
6%
|
|
| Manufacturing |
7.4%
|
|
| Is this State Right to work? |
YES
|
|
|
|
||
| Transportation |
Metro Area
|
Miles
|
|
Metro Area 1
|
Minneapolis |
635
|
|
Metro Area 2
|
Chicago |
950
|
|
Metro Area 3
|
Denver |
400
|
|
Metro Area 4
|
Kansas City |
721
|
|
Metro Area 5
|
Omaha |
525
|
|
|
||
|
Delivery Services
|
Federal Express |
YES
|
|
|
United Parcel Service |
YES
|
|
|
Airborne Express |
YES
|
|
|
DHL |
YES
|
|
|
US Post Office |
YES
|
|
Motor Carriers/Trucks (number)
|
Common Carriers |
53
|
|
|
Miles
|
|
|
Commercial Airports
|
Rapid City Regional Airport |
33
|
|
|
Passenger Carriers |
3
|
| Charter Carriers |
1
|
|
| Cargo Carriers |
5
|
|
|
|
||
|
Railroads
|
DM&E |
|
| Utility Providers | ||
|
Water
|
Electric
|
Natural Gas
|
|
Box Elder
|
|
|
|
City of Box Elder
|
West River Electric Association |
Montana Dakota Utilities
|
|
Hill City
|
|
|
|
City of Hill City
|
Black Hills Power & Light Company |
N/A
|
|
Keystone
|
|
|
|
City of Keystone
|
Black Hills Power & Light Company |
N/A
|
|
New Underwood
|
|
|
|
City of New Underwood
|
West River Electric Association |
N/A
|
|
Rapid City
|
|
|
|
City of Rapid City
|
Black Hills Power & Light Company |
Montana Dakota Utilities
|
|
Wall
|
|
|
|
City of Wall
|
West River Electric Association |
N/A
|
|
|
|
|
| Local Telecommunication Provider |
|
|
|
Box Elder
|
Quest | |
|
Hill City
|
Quest | |
|
Keystone
|
Quest | |
|
New Underwood
|
Golden West Telecommunications Coop | |
|
Rapid City
|
Quest | |
|
Wall
|
Golden West Telecommunications Coop | |
| Number of Business Support Services | ||
| Tool & Die |
5
|
|
| Machine Shop |
15
|
|
| Office Equipment Service and Repair |
5
|
|
| Temporary Employment Services |
2
|
|
| Welding |
11
|
|
| Landfill - Name and Location | Rapid City Regional Landfill | |
|
|
||
| Government | Form of Government |
Commissioner
|
| County Manager |
NO
|
|
| Number of County Commissioners |
5
|
|
| Quality of Life | ||
|
Health Care
|
Hospitals |
4
|
| Hospital Beds |
429
|
|
| Outpatient Clinics |
0
|
|
| Physicians |
258
|
|
| Dentists |
71
|
|
|
|
||
| Climate |
Average Daily Temperature (High,Average, Low)
|
|
| July...............86.....74.....58 | ||
| January..........34.....22.....11 |
|
|
|
Average Annual Number of Sunny
or Partly Sunny Days |
226
|
|
| Recreational Outlets
Hunting, Fishing , Boating, Camping, Hiking, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Caves, Journey Museum, |
||
| Education | County School Districts |
6
|
| School Enrollment | Total Enrollment |
|
|
Box Elder
|
Elementary |
1,154
|
|
|
Secondary |
1,187
|
|
Hill City/Keystone
|
Elementary |
215
|
|
|
Secondary |
376
|
|
New Underwood
|
Elementary
|
140
|
|
|
Secondary
|
141
|
|
Rapid City
|
Elementary
|
7,854
|
|
|
Secondary
|
5,335
|
|
Wall
|
Elementary
|
132
|
| Secondary |
212
|
|
| Work Force Attainment (25 - 64 years of age) | ||
|
Years of Education
|
Number
|
Percentage
|
|
Under 12 Years
|
4,373
|
10.77%
|
|
12 Years Only
|
12,957
|
31.90%
|
|
13 to 15 Years
|
|
|
|
Some College
|
10,181
|
25.07%
|
|
Associate Degree
|
3,841
|
9.46%
|
|
Subtotal
|
31,352
|
77.19%
|
|
College Graduates
|
|
|
|
16 Years Only
|
6,140
|
15.12%
|
|
Over 16 Years
|
3,126
|
7.70%
|
|
Total
|
40,618
|
100%
|
|
|
|
|
| Religious Institutions | Protestant |
72
|
| Catholic |
9
|
|
| Synagogues |
1
|
|
| Other |
29
|
|
|
Taxation
|
||||||
| Sales Tax | Real Property Tax | |||||
| State | Local | BBB | Total Millage | Assessment Ratio | Effective Rate Period | |
| Box Elder | 4% | 2% | 34.45809937 | 85% | 2.9% | |
| Hill City | 4% | 2% | 1% | 35.81850052 | 85% | 2.8% |
| Keystone | 4% | 2% | 27.5719986 | 85% | 2.4% | |
| New Underwood | 4% | 2% | 33.08249664 | 85% | 2.8% | |
| Rapid City | 4% | 2% | 27.6378994 | 85% | 2.3% | |
| Wall | 4% | 2% | 28.88820076 | 85% | 2.4% | |
|
No Corporate Income Tax
|
No Personal Property Tax
|
No Inheritance Tax |
|
No Personal Income Tax
|
No Business Inventory Tax
|
|
|
||
|
Chamber of Commerce Quick Links
|
||
|
HILL CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
324 Main Street, PO Box 253 Hill City, South Dakota 57745 |
||
|
|
||