Hill City, South Dakota Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 834, Hill City's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Hill City is a small community located in South Dakota, within Pennington County. The total population is 834. It ranks as the 98th most populous out of 439 Census-designated places in South Dakota.

Age Demographics

The median age in Hill City is 34.2 years. This is 10% lower than the state median of 38.0 years. With 32.0% of the population under 18, Hill City has a notably young demographic profile, suggesting a family-oriented community.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Hill City is $95,385. This is 27% higher than the state median of $75,081. It is also 18% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 2.6%. This is 78% lower than the state poverty rate of 11.9%. This exceptionally low poverty rate indicates strong economic prosperity across the community. The survey records no unemployed residents in Hill City, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $286,200. Housing costs are 11% higher than the state median of $257,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 73.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 8% higher than the state average of 68.6%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Hill City is White (non-Hispanic), making up 84.0% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 6.1%.

Education

34.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 9% higher than the state rate of 31.9%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 98.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Hill City, South Dakota is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against South Dakota state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 439 Census-designated places in South Dakota. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.