Best Online Business Administration Programs in Rapid City, SD (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Rapid City, South Dakota has 4 accredited schools offering business administration programs, with tuition ranging from $9,000 to $21,343 per year for indexed programs. Rapid City has a population of about 76,836. Median household income is $65,712 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Rapid City, SD metro area, the top-earning business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $160,280 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Business Administration Schools to Rapid City

The 4 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 4 schools in our directory that offer business administration programs near Rapid City. Distances are calculated from Rapid City city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Rapid City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Western Dakota Technical College

Rapid City, SD 2.1 miles from Rapid City BOC Score60.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

National American University-Rapid City

Rapid City, SD 2.3 miles from Rapid City BOC Score16.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

National American University-Ellsworth

Box Elder, SD 8.8 miles from Rapid City
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Black Hills State University

Spearfish, SD 43.8 miles from Rapid City BOC Score43.0
Published tuition$9,000 - $21,343
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Dakota schools on the South Dakota business administration page.

Business Administration Wages Near Rapid City

Rapid City is part of the Rapid City, SD metro area (BLS area code 39660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Dakota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$130,410Rapid City, SD$146,200
Administrative Services Manager$107,200Rapid City, SD$120,179
Financial Manager$160,280Rapid City, SD$179,686
Human Resources Manager$105,990Rapid City, SD$118,823
Management Analyst$92,710Rapid City, SD$103,935
Project Management Specialist$74,700Rapid City, SD$83,744
Accountant or Auditor$79,270Rapid City, SD$88,868
Training and Development Specialist$64,990Rapid City, SD$72,859
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor$60,700Rapid City, SD$68,049

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Rapid City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population76,836Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$65,712Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+36.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.2 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Business Administration-related employment in Pennington County1,718 workers, 452 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near Rapid City, SD?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering business administration programs near Rapid City. The closest is Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City, SD (2.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Black Hills State University (43.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near Rapid City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near Rapid City are: Financial Manager ($160,280), General and Operations Manager ($130,410), Administrative Services Manager ($107,200). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Dakota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Is Rapid City an affordable place to study business administration?

Rapid City’s median household income of $65,712 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rapid City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Business Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Rapid City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rapid City:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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