Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Dakota instead of Kansas, you would:
Health
be 18.1% less likely to have diabetes
In Kansas, 10.5% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In South Dakota, that number is 8.6% as of 2022.
Economy
be 29.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Kansas, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Dakota, that number is 2.4% as of 2025.
Safety
be 19.0% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Kansas has a violent crime rate of 424 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Dakota, that number is 344 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 23.1% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Kansas has a property crime rate of 2,068 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Dakota, that number is 1,591 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 11.4% less in rent
The median monthly gross rent in Kansas is $1,029 as of 2023, while in South Dakota, it is $912 as of 2023.
pay 16.4% more for a home
The median home value in Kansas is $203,400 as of 2023, compared to $236,800 in South Dakota as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 2.2 minutes less
The average one-way commute in Kansas takes 19.8 minutes as of 2023. In South Dakota, it takes 17.6 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 66.2% less densely populated
Kansas has a population density of 13.9 people per sq km as of 2023. In South Dakota, that number is 4.7 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 20.4% less likely to be food insecure
In Kansas, 9.8% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In South Dakota, that number is 7.8% as of 2021.
be 13.2% less likely to have a bachelor's degree
In Kansas, 22.8% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In South Dakota, that number is 19.8% as of 2023.
be 48.8% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Kansas, 4.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In South Dakota, that number is 2.1% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
