South Dakota Named 3rd Best State for Healthcare

In Print
Written By Alex Strauss

South Dakota has made a remarkable leap in WalletHub's 2024 "States with the Best & Worst Health Care" report, climbing to 3rd place overall from 9th last year. This comprehensive study, which evaluated 50 states and the District of COlumbia across 44 key measures, highlights South Dakota's strengths in several critical areas.

The state particularly excels in emergency care, ranking 3rd for average ER wait times. It also performs well in preventive care access, placing 9th for both hospital beds per capita and the percentage of at-risk adults with routine doctor visits. Dental care accessibility is another strong point, with South Dakota ranking 7th for adults receiving annual dental visits.

While the state shows strong performance in most areas, there's room for improvement in retaining medical residents, where South Dakota ranks 21st. 

Health Care in South Dakota (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • Overall Rank: 3rd

  • 9th – Hospital Beds per Capita

  • 3rd – Average ER Wait Time

  • 9th – % of At-Risk Adults with No Routine Doctor Visit in Past Two Years

  • 7th – % of Adults with No Dental Visit in Past Year

  • 21st – % of Medical Residents Retained

For a detailed breakdown of South Dakota's performance across all 44 measures and to understand the implications for our healthcare system, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-health-care/23457

Alex Strauss
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