South Dakota
Ellsworth Air Force Base
📍 Rapid City, South Dakota
Home to the 28th Bomb Wing operating the B-1B Lancer, Ellsworth provides long-range strike capability and supports global bomber task force missions.
BAH Rates
MHA: SD002 Rates as of 2026
E-1 with Dependents$1,485/mo
E-5 with Dependents$1,716/mo
E-5 without Dependents$1,380/mo
O-3 with Dependents$2,139/mo
O-3 without Dependents$1,770/mo
Housing
View full housing guide →- On-base: Privatized housing through Balfour Beatty Communities — single-family homes, townhomes, and duplexes; wait lists 0-4 months; homes range from 1960s-era to newly constructed; attached garages are common (essential for winter)
- Off-base (Box Elder): 5-10 min commute, the closest community to base; rentals $800-$1,300/month; basic amenities, some new construction, most affordable option
- Off-base (Rapid City): 15-25 min commute, larger city with full amenities; rentals $1,000-$1,800/month; diverse housing from historic homes to new subdivisions
- Top pick: Rapid Valley / southeast Rapid City — 15-20 min commute, newer homes, good schools, convenient to shopping and I-90, popular with base families
- Note: BAH goes far in South Dakota — you can afford a nice home on BAH alone; winters are real (cold, snow, wind) but the base and city are well-prepared; no state income tax in South Dakota
Neighborhoods
View full neighborhoods guide →- Box Elder — 5-10 min commute, closest to base, most affordable, growing with new subdivisions, Douglas School District, basic amenities — popular for the short commute and lower cost
- Rapid Valley — 15-20 min, newer construction, Rapid City schools, convenient to Ellsworth AFB via Dyess Avenue, near shopping and restaurants on East North Street, very popular with base families
- Southeast Rapid City — 15-20 min, nice neighborhoods near the Country Club and Sioux Park, access to the bike path along Rapid Creek, good schools, mix of established and newer homes
- West Rapid City — 20-25 min, closer to the Black Hills, more upscale, Canyon Lake area and Skyline Drive neighborhoods, stunning views, pricier homes but premium quality of life
- Black Hawk / Piedmont — 20-30 min northwest, rural-suburban feel in the foothills, larger lots, Meade County schools, popular with families wanting more space and Black Hills proximity
Schools
View full schools guide →🏫 Elementary Schools
Douglas Elementary (DoDEA)⭐ 5/10
On-base
Rapid Valley Elementary⭐ 5/10
Rapid City area
🏫 Middle Schools
Douglas Middle School⭐ 5/10
Box Elder, near base
East Middle School⭐ 5/10
Rapid City
🏫 High Schools
Douglas High School⭐ 5/10
Box Elder, close to base
Stevens High School⭐ 6/10
Rapid City, stronger
Gates & Commute
- Main Gate (Dyess Avenue / SD-44) — Primary entry from Rapid City, 24/7, 2-10 min peak waits (6:30-8:00 AM), the main artery connecting the base to Rapid City and Box Elder
- North Gate — Secondary entry for base housing and industrial area, shorter waits, limited hours
- Tip: The Main Gate line moves fast; even peak 'rush' is minimal by most base standards — 5-10 bikes max; winter weather is the biggest commute variable
- Note: Ellsworth is a large base — the runway is 13,500 ft (one of the longest in the Air Force); the B-1 ramp is on the east side of the runway
Internet Providers
- Midco — Primary cable/fiber provider in Rapid City and Box Elder; speeds up to 1 Gbps; excellent local customer service; widely available and reliable
- Vast Broadband — Fiber in parts of Rapid City; competitive with Midco
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — Good coverage in Rapid City metro; $50/month unlimited
- Starlink — Good option for rural Black Hawk/Piedmont/Hermosa areas; excellent speeds
- Top pick: Midco — highly regarded regional provider with great service and competitive pricing
Shopping & Dining
- On-base: AAFES Exchange and commissary — well-stocked for a bomber base; shoppette and Class Six
- Rushmore Mall (Rapid City, 15-20 min): JCPenney, Scheels (huge sporting goods destination), Hobby Lobby; surrounded by big-box retail (Target, Best Buy, Kohl's)
- Groceries: On-base commissary; off-base Safeway, Family Fare, Wal-Mart Supercenter; the Black Hills Farmers Market (Rapid City, summer) for local produce and crafts
- Dining: Firehouse Brewing Company (Rapid City, historic fire station, craft beer and pub food), Delmonico Grill (upscale steakhouse), Colonial House Restaurant (breakfast institution since 1954), and Black Hills Burger and Bun Co. (Custer, worth the drive — voted best burger in South Dakota)
- Downtown Rapid City (15-20 min): Revitalized Main Street Square with fountains and ice rink (seasonal), Art Alley (ever-changing street art), local boutiques, and the 'City of Presidents' — life-size bronze statues of every U.S. president on street corners
- Spearfish (45 min) and Deadwood (1 hr): More shopping and dining in the Northern Black Hills; Deadwood's historic Main Street with casinos and old-west saloons
Gyms & Recreation
- Ellsworth AFB Fitness Center — 24/7 with cardio, free weights, functional fitness, indoor basketball, racquetball, and group classes; modern facility with mountain views from the cardio deck
- Ellsworth AFB Golf Course (Dakota Ridge) — 9-hole on-base course; driving range, pro shop, and clubhouse; short but challenging with Black Hills views
- Outdoor Recreation (ODR) — Winter: ski/snowboard packages, snowshoes; Summer: camping, hiking, climbing, kayaking, and mountain biking gear; organized trips to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and Colorado ski resorts; hunting and fishing programs
- On-base: Bowling alley, auto hobby shop, community center, sports fields, pool, library, and the Ellsworth AFB FamCamp
- The Black Hills (15-30 min) — 1.2 million acres of Ponderosa pine forest, granite spires, and mountain lakes; Custer State Park (Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, bison herds), Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, and the 109-mile Mickelson Trail for hiking and biking
- Badlands National Park (1 hr east) — Otherworldly eroded buttes and spires, bison and bighorn sheep, the Badlands Loop Road (SD-240), and some of the darkest night skies in America — incredible stargazing and astrophotography
Jobs & Spouse Employment
- On-base: AAFES, commissary, MWR, CDC — primary local employers; USAJobs for GS/WG positions supporting the 28th BW bomber mission — significant civilian workforce for aircraft maintenance and base operations
- Defense contractors: Boeing (B-1 sustainment), Lockheed Martin, and various aerospace support contractors with Ellsworth operations; demand for cleared aviation maintenance and logistics professionals
- Rapid City economy: Healthcare (Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, largest regional employer), tourism/hospitality (Mount Rushmore, Black Hills draw millions of visitors annually), and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- State of South Dakota — Various state government positions in Rapid City; South Dakota has low unemployment and a generally strong job market for the region's size
- Remote work: Excellent option — no state income tax maximizes take-home pay; Central/Mountain time zone border (SD is split) works for multiple time zones; Midco fiber provides reliable high-speed internet
- Employment Readiness: Airman & Family Readiness Center provides job search support; Rapid City's growing economy and military-friendly employers create good opportunities
Local Attractions
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial (35 min) — The iconic 60-foot faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln carved into granite; the Avenue of Flags, Sculptor's Studio, and evening lighting ceremony (summer) — a powerful American experience
- Badlands National Park (1 hr) — Mars-like landscapes of eroded spires and canyons; the Badlands Loop Road, Notch Trail (ladder climb to a stunning overlook), bison and bighorn sheep, and Fossil Exhibit Trail; sunrise and sunset here are unforgettable
- Custer State Park (30-45 min) — 71,000 acres of Black Hills paradise; the Wildlife Loop Road (free-roaming bison herd of 1,300+), Needles Highway (narrow tunnels through granite spires), Sylvan Lake (the 'jewel of the Black Hills'), and the annual Buffalo Roundup (September)
- Crazy Horse Memorial (45 min) — The world's largest mountain carving in progress since 1948; the visitor complex includes the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center; a different but equally powerful companion to Mount Rushmore
- Deadwood (1 hr) — Historic Wild West gold rush town; Main Street casinos in restored 1870s buildings, the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane at Mount Moriah Cemetery, and the HBO Deadwood series brought this town to life for a new generation
- Devils Tower National Monument (2 hrs northwest, Wyoming) — America's first national monument; the 867-foot igneous rock tower is sacred to Plains tribes and a world-famous climbing destination; Close Encounters of the Third Kind made it iconic
Area Maps
Photo Gallery
base
Training mission at Ellsworth AFB — home of the 28th Bomb Wing
base
B-1B Lancer awaiting inspection at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
neighborhood
Mount Rushmore — the iconic national memorial 35 minutes from Ellsworth
nature
Badlands National Park — otherworldly landscapes 1 hour from Ellsworth
downtown
Downtown Rapid City's Main Street Square — shopping and dining near base
restaurant
Firehouse Brewing Company — craft beer in a historic Rapid City fire station