Box Elder (
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language
Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
: ''čhaŋšúška''; "
box elder maple") is a city in
Pennington and
Meade counties in the
State
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
. The population was 11,746 at the
2020 census, making it the
10th most populous city in South Dakota.
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder.
The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Glob ...
lies on the northeast side of the city, and it is a suburb of
Rapid City.
Box Elder was named from nearby
Boxelder Creek.
Indie Rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Pavement has a song on their
second album named after the city.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Box Elder is located within minutes of
Ellsworth AFB
Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder.
The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Glob ...
, and surrounds it on three sides.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 11,746 people, 4,123 households, and 2,992 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 4,373 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 73.6%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 7.4%
Native American, 1.9%
Asian, 0.3%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.1% from some other races and 11.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 7.7% of the population. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.1% were under 5 years of age, and 6.7% were 65 and older.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 7,800 people, 2,443 households, and 1,968 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,828 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 79.5% White, 5.1% African American, 4.4% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.9%.
Of the 2,443 households, 55.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.4% were non-families. 15.1% of households were one person, and 2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.26.
The median age was 23.5 years. 33.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 13% were from 45 to 64, and 2.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 2,841 people, 993 households, and 750 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 83.42% White, 2.29% African American, 5.60% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.
Of the 993 households, 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 17.3% of households were one person, and 1.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.20.
The age distribution was 34.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.3% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median household income was $32,344 and the median family income was $35,020. Males had a median income of $24,596 versus $17,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,692. About 13.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over.
Education
Douglas School District serves families in most portions of Box Elder,
[ ]
Text list
/ref> and those living on Ellsworth AFB.[
]
Points of interest
* South Dakota Air and Space Museum
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
Notable people
* Jeffrey W. Hayzlett, author, speaker, businessman
* Nellie Zabel Willhite, first deaf woman to earn a pilot's license
References
{{Authority control
Cities in South Dakota
Cities in Meade County, South Dakota
Cities in Pennington County, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area