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See Where We Rank

There are countless reasons we could answer "Why Rapid City?" For a quick start, here are 25. But there's something extra special about when others realize how great a community is. Rapid City continues to get recognized as a great community alongside South Dakota's statewide rankings.

If you or your business are looking for a new home, we would love to connect with you and share more about what the Rapid City region offers. More than that, we will be with you every step of the way. From finding resources to just the right location, the Rapid City Economic Development team is here for you. Contact us to get started.

Aerial photo of downtown rapid city hotel alex johnson prominent in center

TOP100
Best Places to Live (2024)

Liveability.com

#1
Fastest-Growing City in the Midwest

2022 & 2023

#2
State with Fastest Job Growth

USA Today

2024 Rapid City Rankings and Accolades:

100 Best Places to Live 2024

Livability.com

#1 Leading Metro Location in Plains Region

AreaDevelopment.com

#36: Happiest Cities in America

Wallethub.com

30 Best Up-and-Coming Small Cities in America

HGTV.com

#36: Best-Performing Small City

Milken Institute

 

2024 South Dakota Rankings

Sit Selector Magazine: 2023 Governor's Cup

Siteselection.com

Most Family-Owned Businesses

Ondeck.com

#2 Fastest Job Growth

USA Today

#3 Best State for Female Tech Workers

Forbes

More Rankings and Accolades:

Top 5 – Best States for Job Seekers

http://www.visualcapitalist.com/unemployed-workers-vs-job-openings-by-us-state/

Fastest-Growing City in the Midwest (54th Nationally)

US Census Bureau

South Dakota – Top manufacturing jobs, fastest growing population, #2 Best Business Tax Climate

Businessfacilities.com

South Dakota – Best State for High-Paying Entry-Level Jobs

http://resume.io/blog/the-best-cities-and-states-for-high-paying-entry-level-jobs

#17 – Best-Performing Small City (2023)

Milken Institute

Great Community for Military Families

Livability

#25 – Best Cities to Raise a Family in 2023

http://scholaroo.com/report/best-cities-for-families/

#9: Top Cities for Veteran Entrepreneurs

PenFed Foundation

#3: Best City for new grads to start a career

CNBC

#1 Emerging Housing Market

Wall Street Journal

Best Cities for Young Professionals

Insurify

Best Recovery from the Pandemic (SD)

Business Facilities

4- Emerging Housing Market

The Wall Street Journal

7- Best State to Start and Online Business

http://www.kotatv.com/2021/07/19/south-dakota-ranked-top-online-business-owners/

8- Best Run Cities in America

Wallethub.com

2- January 2021 Hottest Housing Market

Realtor.com

2- Tax Climate (SD)

South Dakota | State Business Tax Climate Index - Tax Foundation (statetaxindex.org)

2021 Top New Home-Buyer City (SD)

http://insurify.com/insights/best-cities-for-new-homebuyers-awards-2021/

4 - Most Inbound Migration in 2020 (SD)

http://taxfoundation.org/state-migration-trends/

2 – Best State Business Tax Climate (SD)

http://files.taxfoundation.org/20201026112452/2021-State-Business-Tax-Climate-Index1.pdf

25 Coolest Towns in America to Visit – Matador Network

http://matadornetwork.com/read/coolest-towns-america-visit-2021/?fbclid=IwAR0YaLgNRFieQKee0ce-HC5k03hhx_SAs7mrWjcktvOrSLUgRHF9RGMm8rs

The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021 – Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure

Cities Whose October Unemployment Rates are Bouncing Back Most

http://wallethub.com/edu/cities-unemployment-rates/73647

Insurify’s 2020 Season of Giving Award (for South Dakota) - Insurify

http://insurify.com/insights/season-of-giving-award-2020/

Top STEP Cities Awards - Insurify

http://insurify.com/insights/2020-top-stem-cities-awards/

Small Towns That are About to Become More Popular – Reader’s Digest

http://www.rd.com/culture/small-towns-that-are-becoming-popular

2019 Most Educated Cities - Insurify

http://insurify.com/insights/2019-most-educated-cities-awards

Best Small Cities for Business – 2019

http://www.chamberofcommerce.org/best-small-cities-for-business

Best Cities to Live After Leaving Service

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/11/01/best-cities-live-after-leaving-military-recent-vets/1838278002

2017 Forbes Best Small Places for business and Careers
http://insurify.com/insights/most-caring-cities-awards/