Which has more people, Kansas or South Dakota?

Kansas has a population of 2,989,188 (34th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

How do Kansas and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Kansas $74,275 (35th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

How do Kansas and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?

Unemployment Rate (%): Kansas 3.8% (tied 20th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does Kansas beat South Dakota most clearly?

Kansas ranks far ahead on Average Salary (Highest Paying Jobs by State): $371,189 vs $336,300; FTE Lack of Laws Rank (Most Corrupt States): 41st vs 2nd; State Highway Accidents 2018-2022 (Jaywalking Laws By State): 8.33% vs 41.7%.

Where does South Dakota beat Kansas most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Average Engagement Ring Cost (Engagement Ring Cost by State): $3,005 vs $8,947; Experienced Any Domestic Violence in Lifetime - % of Men (Domestic Violence by State): 20.7% vs 38.3%; Car Sales Tax Rate (Car Sales Tax by State): 4% vs 7.5%.

Kansas vs South Dakota

South Dakota comes out ahead of Kansas on 434 of 792 statistics where one end is better, to 343 with 15 ties. Kansas leads on Agriculture, Crime & Safety and Education. South Dakota leads on Sports, Law and Geography and 10 more categories.

792 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 15 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Kansas

Wins: 343
Avg. percentile: 48
Categories led: 3

South Dakota

Wins: 434
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 13

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Kansas	South Dakota
Population	2,989,188 34th of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$74,275 35th of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	3.8% tied 20th of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	11.3% 23rd of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	90.1 10th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$59,172 21st of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$60,640 41st of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,060 13th of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	457.2 45th of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	4,878 20th of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

SportsSouth Dakota · 16 statistics
LawSouth Dakota · 64 statistics
GeographySouth Dakota · 25 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Dakota · 36 statistics
Tech & BusinessSouth Dakota · 48 statistics
AgricultureKansas · 17 statistics
EnvironmentSouth Dakota · 38 statistics
CultureSouth Dakota · 78 statistics
PopulationSouth Dakota · 124 statistics
HealthSouth Dakota · 187 statistics
Facts & TriviaSouth Dakota · 18 statistics
Crime & SafetyKansas · 74 statistics
EducationKansas · 51 statistics
TravelSouth Dakota · 29 statistics
EconomicsSouth Dakota · 292 statistics
Politics & GovernmentSouth Dakota · 123 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 26 US states.

Statistic	Kansas	South Dakota
Average Engagement Ring CostEngagement Ring Cost by State	$8,947 48th of 51	$3,005 1st of 51
Experienced Any Domestic Violence in Lifetime - % of MenDomestic Violence by State	38.3% 47th of 50	20.7% 3rd of 50
Car Sales Tax RateCar Sales Tax by State	7.5% 45th of 45	4% tied 4th of 45
YoY Median Price Growth: All Home TypesMedian Home Price by State	7.1% 47th of 51	-2.5% 3rd of 51
Campsite Quality (1-10)Best States for Camping	2.64 48th of 49	8.65 7th of 49
Dealer Max Vehicle TaxCar Dealer Fees by State	11.5% 42nd of 45	4% tied 4th of 45
Average SalaryHighest Paying Jobs by State	$371,189 4th of 50	$336,300 44th of 50
FTE Lack of Laws RankMost Corrupt States	41st 10th best of 50	2nd 2nd worst of 50
Lake Surface Area (acres)Bass Fishing by State	2,600 44th of 50	370,000 6th of 50
Natural Environment RankWorst States to Live in	8th 8th worst of 50	46th 5th best of 50
Lake Surface Area (mi)Bass Fishing by State	4.1 tied 43rd of 50	578.1 6th of 50
State Highway Accidents 2018-2022Jaywalking Laws By State	8.33% 2nd of 46	41.7% 36th of 46
Annual Conviction RateMost Corrupt States	0.19 per 10k Government Employees tied 10th of 50	0.85 per 10k Government Employees 48th of 50
Extreme Weather Events 2007-2016Best Weather by State	33 3rd of 49	8 39th of 49
Score (out of 100)Best States to Own a Business	18 41st of 49	92 5th of 49
Total ScoreEntrepreneur-Friendly States	18 41st of 49	92 5th of 49
RankEntrepreneur-Friendly States	41st 41st of 50	5th 5th of 50
Total RankBest States to Own a Business	41st 41st of 50	5th 5th of 50
Varicella 2 Doses (No Disease History)Vaccination Rates by State	88.4% 45th of 51	95.0% tied 8th of 51
Total Weighted ScoreBest States to Own a Business	21 tied 39th of 50	29 tied 5th of 50
Weighted ScoreEntrepreneur-Friendly States	21 tied 39th of 50	29 tied 5th of 50
Fiscal Freedom RankMost Libertarian States	38th 38th of 50	3rd 3rd of 50
K-12 Spending as % of Taxpayer IncomePer Pupil Spending by State	3.87% 10th of 51	2.63% 45th of 51
SWAMP Index ScoreMost Corrupt States	73.64 5th of 51	40.6 40th of 51
5G Max Download SpeedStates that have Banned 5G	198.2 9th of 50	136.2 43rd of 50
Average New Car Price With Tax And FeesCar Registration Fees by State	$53,535 41st of 50	$52,140 7th of 50
Fiscal Policy RankMost Free States	38th 38th of 50	4th 4th of 50
Median Price per AcreBest States To Homestead	$11,596 6th of 50	$77,352 40th of 50
Mitigation Efforts RankFood Waste by State	35th 16th best of 50	1st worst of 50
Veteran Unemployment RateVeterans Unemployment Benefits by State	5.66 38th of 50	2.43 4th of 50

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Kansas or South Dakota?: South Dakota comes out ahead of Kansas on 434 of 792 statistics where one end is better, to 343 with 15 ties. Kansas leads on Agriculture, Crime & Safety and Education. South Dakota leads on Sports, Law and Geography and 10 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Kansas or South Dakota?: Kansas has a population of 2,989,188 (34th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do Kansas and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Kansas $74,275 (35th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
How do Kansas and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Kansas 3.8% (tied 20th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does Kansas beat South Dakota most clearly?: Kansas ranks far ahead on Average Salary (Highest Paying Jobs by State): $371,189 vs $336,300; FTE Lack of Laws Rank (Most Corrupt States): 41st vs 2nd; State Highway Accidents 2018-2022 (Jaywalking Laws By State): 8.33% vs 41.7%.
Where does South Dakota beat Kansas most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Average Engagement Ring Cost (Engagement Ring Cost by State): $3,005 vs $8,947; Experienced Any Domestic Violence in Lifetime - % of Men (Domestic Violence by State): 20.7% vs 38.3%; Car Sales Tax Rate (Car Sales Tax by State): 4% vs 7.5%.

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