Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Pennsylvania instead of South Dakota, you would:
Health
be 19.8% more likely to have diabetes
In South Dakota, 8.6% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In Pennsylvania, that number is 10.3% as of 2022.
Economy
be 54.2% more likely to be unemployed
In South Dakota, 2.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Pennsylvania, that number is 3.7% as of 2025.
Safety
be 23.1% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
South Dakota has a violent crime rate of 344 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, that number is 264 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 27.4% more in rent
The median monthly gross rent in South Dakota is $912 as of 2023, while in Pennsylvania, it is $1,162 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 36.8% less likely to be uninsured
In South Dakota, 8.7% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.
live among residents who are 3.2 years older on average
The median age in South Dakota is 37.7 years as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, the median age is 40.9 years as of 2023.
be 22.2% more likely to have a bachelor's degree
In South Dakota, 19.8% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, that number is 24.2% as of 2023.
be 57.1% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In South Dakota, 2.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, that number is 3.3% as of 2023.
commute 9.0 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in South Dakota takes 17.6 minutes as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, it takes 26.6 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 23.9 times more densely populated
South Dakota has a population density of 4.7 people per sq km as of 2023. In Pennsylvania, that number is 112.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 19.2% more likely to be food insecure
In South Dakota, 7.8% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Pennsylvania, that number is 9.3% as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
