CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

44.40° N · 103.60° W · GEOID 4606440

Boulder Canyon

Lawrence County, South Dakota · part of the Spearfish, SD metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

South DakotaBoulder Canyon, SDBoulder CanyonBoulder Canyon

The short answer

Boulder Canyon is home to 841 people. Median household income is $74,281 a year and median rent is $938 a month, 15.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $597,800, about 8.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$938
31% below the median place
Median household income
$74,281
7% below the median place
Median home value
$597,800
87% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Boulder Canyon

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 13 South Dakota places.
  • The median home is worth 8.1 years of the median household's income, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 19 South Dakota places.
  • The median resident is 53 years old, older than in 95% of places its size. It is the highest of 19 South Dakota places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 1998, newer housing than in 88% of places its size.
01

Moving to Boulder Canyon

Lawrence County gains about 34.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,386
Moved out1,605
Net+781

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within South Dakota, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within South DakotaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$93K
Leavers$65K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Lawrence County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Lawrence County report $93,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $64,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$37,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $938 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,629 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $597,800.
Getting to work
19 minutes each way on average; 6.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Durham, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people5
34.2
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
3.9%
96% above the median place
Income of households moving in5
$93,281
32% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.4%29% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.9%96% above
Net movers per 1,000 people5County figure34.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in5County figure$93,28132% above
Income of households moving out5County figure$64,5248% below
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 8.1x, 112% above the median place.

Boulder Canyon15.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$37,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.2%
25% below the median place
Home price to income
8.1x
112% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$62,700
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Boulder Canyon, $938 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Boulder Canyon.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Boulder Canyon? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1998
1% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
35% below the median place
Median home value1
$597,800
87% above the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$93831% below
Rent to income115.2%25% below
Property tax rate10.6%35% below
Home price to income18.1x112% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,20725% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,5499% above
Median home value1$597,80087% above
Home prices, 1-year change3County figure4.3%34% above
Home prices, 5-year change3County figure68.1%32% above
Homeownership168.0%2% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure33.9%33% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,62913% below
Vacant homes1County figure18.8%166% above
Median year built119981% above
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Median household income1
$74,281
7% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$74,2817% below
Income per person1$39,8371% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay4County figure$50,95923% below
Pay growth, 1 year4County figure1.5%59% below
Jobs4County figure13,69191% below
Poverty rate1County figure11.6%7% above
Mean commute1County figure19 min23% below
Works from home1County figure6.5%48% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
53.0
36% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband96.9% +5%
Household size2.4 −5%
Bachelor's or higher37.7% +18%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18416646th largest
Median age153.036% above
Bachelor's or higher137.7%18% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.45% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure8.9%39% above
Homes with broadband196.9%5% above
05

Life in Boulder Canyon

60 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars33.8 +62%
Shops59.9 +98%
Arts, recreation and fitness12.9 3.1×
Doctors' offices and clinics20.6 +2%
Child care centers3.3 +43%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k6
59.9
98% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k6
33.8
62% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k6
12.9
215% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools8County figure1456% above
Public school students8County figure3,18335% below
Students per teacher8County figure13.214% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k6County figure33.862% above
Shops per 10k6County figure59.998% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k6County figure12.9215% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k6County figure20.62% above
Child care centers per 10k6County figure3.343% above
National Register listings7County figure60362% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Average temperature is 44°F, 21% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Boulder Canyon. Larger places are fetched first.

Average temperature9
44°F
21% below the median place
Heat wave risk10
16.9
81% below the median place
Natural hazard risk10
49.3
47% below the median place
All 8 weather and risk measures
MeasureBoulder CanyonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high9County figure81°F6% below
January average low9County figure13°F49% below
Average temperature9County figure44°F21% below
Annual precipitation9County figure25.4 in42% below
Natural hazard risk10County figure49.347% below
Tornado risk10County figure37.854% below
Wildfire risk10County figure93.252% above
Heat wave risk10County figure16.981% below
08

Boulder Canyon in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$74,281 (2024)$94,000$79,500 to $111,500+4.0%
Median home value$597,800 (2024)$982,000$713,000 to $1,352,000+8.6%

The median home would be worth 10.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 8.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Boulder Canyon

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Durham, CA$1,105$95,417Compare
Bigfork, MT$1,016$85,307Compare
Vero Beach, FL$1,221$69,758Compare
Taos, NM$883$47,304Compare
Taos, NMVero Beach, FLBigfork, MTDurham, CABoulder Canyon, SDBoulder CanyonDurhamBigforkVero BeachTaosBoulder CanyonDurhamBigforkVero BeachTaos

Common questions

Is Boulder Canyon a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 13 South Dakota places. The median home is worth 8.1 years of the median household's income, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 19 South Dakota places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Boulder Canyon expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $597,800.

What salary do you need to live in Boulder Canyon?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $37,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Boulder Canyon?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Durham, CA, Bigfork, MT, Vero Beach, FL and Taos, NM.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  4. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  5. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  6. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  7. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  8. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  9. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  10. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Boulder Canyon with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Boulder Canyon itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/boulder-canyon-south-dakota

Citytistics. “Boulder Canyon, South Dakota.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/boulder-canyon-south-dakota/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.