Moving to Box Elder: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Box Elder means joining a real, rapidly growing western South Dakota city immediately adjacent to Ellsworth Air Force Base, whose current growth this record credits directly to a specific, dated cause.
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Learn moreA real, dated growth driver
The US Air Force's $4.5 billion B-21 Raider stealth bomber program is being based at adjacent Ellsworth Air Force Base, projected to grow total base personnel from approximately 10,596 to more than 14,000.
Genuinely affordable relative to the region
Box Elder's cited median home price ($353,000) runs $50,000 to more than $100,000 below surrounding Pennington and Meade counties' own figures.
A young, military-connected community
Box Elder's median age (28.8) runs well below South Dakota's own statewide figure (38.5), consistent with the city's base-driven population.
Key takeaways
- The B-21 Raider program at Ellsworth AFB is a real, dated, ongoing driver of current growth.
- Box Elder's housing runs genuinely more affordable than surrounding Pennington and Meade counties.
- Box Elder's population skews genuinely young, consistent with its military-family base.
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