| Official Name: | Box Elder, South Dakota |
| Native Name: | čhaŋšúška |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | Gateway to the Black Hills |
| Mapsize: | 275px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Dakota |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name2: | Pennington, Meade |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Larry Larson |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1907[1] |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | May 12, 1965[2] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 38.272 |
| Area Land Km2: | 38.209 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.061 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 14.777 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 14.753 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.024 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Est: | 13868 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Total: | 11746 |
| Population Density Km2: | 307.41 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 796.18 |
| Timezone: | Mountain (MST) |
| Utc Offset: | –7 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | –6 |
| Elevation M: | 928 |
| Elevation Ft: | 3045 |
| Coordinates: | 44.1119°N -103.0817°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 57719 |
| Area Code: | 605 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 46-06620 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1267290 |
| Blank2 Name: | Sales tax |
| Blank2 Info: | 6.2%[4] |
Box Elder (Lakota: čhaŋšúška;[5] "box elder maple") is a city in Pennington and Meade counties in the State of South Dakota. The population was 11,746 at the 2020 census, making it the 10th most populous city in South Dakota.[6] Ellsworth Air Force Base lies on the northeast side of the city.
Box Elder was named from nearby Boxelder Creek.[7]
Indie Rock band Pavement has a song on their second album named after the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.777sqmi, of which 14.753sqmi is land and 0.024sqmi is water.[3]
Box Elder is located within minutes of Ellsworth AFB, and surrounds it on three sides.
| White (NH) | 8,340 | 71.0% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 402 | 3.4% | |
| Native American (NH) | 787 | 6.7% | |
| Asian (NH) | 216 | 1.8% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 41 | 0.3% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 68 | 0.6% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 984 | 8.4% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 908 | 7.7% | |
| Total | 11,746 | 100.0% |
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 561.1PD/sqmi. There were 2,828 housing units at an average density of 203.5/sqmi. 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.
As of the 2000 census, there were 2,841 people, 993 households, and 750 families residing in the city. The population density was 489.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 184.8sp=usNaNsp=us. 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, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over.
Douglas School District serves families in Box Elder and those living on Ellsworth AFB.[11] The school district operates six schools in Box Elder:
The school's athletics teams are the Douglas Patriots.[11]