Which has more people, Maine or South Dakota?

Maine has a population of 1,421,310 (42nd of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: Maine $74,733 (33rd of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): Maine 3.4% (tied 10th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does Maine beat South Dakota most clearly?

Maine ranks far ahead on Forest Coverage (1-10) (Best States for Camping): 10 vs 0.25; Forest Coverage (Off-Grid Living Legal States): 89.5% vs 3.93%; Eggflation (Cost Increase Per Dozen) (Egg Prices by State): 41.0% vs 137.0%.

Where does South Dakota beat Maine most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Religious Diversity (Least Diverse States in the US): 2nd vs 49th; Price Level (Other Services) (Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)): 91.9 vs 103.2; YoY Median Price Growth: All Home Types (Median Home Price by State): -2.5% vs 7.3%.

Maine vs South Dakota

South Dakota comes out ahead of Maine on 400 of 778 statistics where one end is better, to 369 with 9 ties. Maine leads on Sports, Crime & Safety and Environment and 4 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Facts & Trivia and Infrastructure & Energy and 4 more categories.

778 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 9 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Maine

Wins: 369
Avg. percentile: 50
Categories led: 7

South Dakota

Wins: 400
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 7

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Maine	South Dakota
Population	1,421,310 42nd of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$74,733 33rd of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	3.4% tied 10th of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	10.7% 19th of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	97.1 26th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$57,480 29th of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$65,780 23rd of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,139 21st of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	93.2 1st of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	7,759 43rd of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureSouth Dakota · 17 statistics
SportsMaine · 16 statistics
Crime & SafetyMaine · 67 statistics
Facts & TriviaSouth Dakota · 18 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Dakota · 36 statistics
Tech & BusinessSouth Dakota · 48 statistics
EnvironmentMaine · 37 statistics
GeographySouth Dakota · 25 statistics
PopulationMaine · 124 statistics
Politics & GovernmentMaine · 122 statistics
EducationMaine · 51 statistics
EconomicsSouth Dakota · 290 statistics
CultureSouth Dakota · 77 statistics
HealthMaine · 186 statistics
LawEven · 62 statistics
TravelEven · 29 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	Maine	South Dakota
Forest Coverage (1-10)Best States for Camping	10 1st of 49	0.25 48th of 49
Forest CoverageOff-Grid Living Legal States	89.5% 1st of 50	3.93% 48th of 50
Religious DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	49th 49th of 50	2nd 2nd of 50
Price Level (Other Services)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	103.2 47th of 51	91.9 2nd of 51
YoY Median Price Growth: All Home TypesMedian Home Price by State	7.3% 48th of 51	-2.5% 3rd of 51
Eggflation (Cost Increase Per Dozen)Egg Prices by State	41.0% 6th of 50	137.0% 49th of 50
Fishing Booker RankBest States for Fishing	6th 6th of 50	49th 49th of 50
Regulatory Policy RankMost Libertarian States	45th 45th of 50	3rd 3rd of 50
Opioid Death RateOpioid Epidemic by State	35.2 per 1k pop. tied 44th of 51	11.9 per 1k pop. 2nd of 51
FatalitiesFloods by State	11 tied 2nd of 47	249 41st of 47
Local Effective Tax RateHighest Taxed States	10.6% 46th of 50	6.46% 5th of 50
SSI Lobbying Disclosure ScoreMost Corrupt States	72.5 8th of 50	39.6 49th of 50
Age-Adjusted Depression RateDepression Rates by State	25.3% tied 43rd of 49	17.2% tied 3rd of 49
Best Ranch ScoreBest State to Own a Ranch	39.25 tied 46th of 50	56.36 6th of 50
Depression RatesHealthiest States	26.7 tied 46th of 50	18.2 6th of 50
Fatality RateFloods by State	0.15 9th of 47	5.99 47th of 47
Annual CostAssisted Living Costs by State	$70,380 43rd of 51	$40,200 2nd of 51
Crematory FeeAverage Funeral Cost by State	$361 8th of 51	$712 49th of 51
Annual Cost IncreaseGrocery Prices by State	4.9% 10th of 50	12.6% 50th of 50
Overall RankFarming-Friendly States	46th 46th of 50	6th 6th of 50
Overall ScoreFarming-Friendly States	39.59 46th of 50	56.36 6th of 50
ScoreCattle Ranching by State	39.59 46th of 50	56.36 6th of 50
Overall Freedom RankMost Libertarian States	43rd 43rd of 50	3rd 3rd of 50
Overall Freedom ScoreMost Libertarian States	-0.2 43rd of 50	0.52 3rd of 50
Crime & CorrectionBest States to Live In	2nd 2nd of 49	41st 41st of 49
Drug Deaths Per 100kHealthiest States	42.8 42nd of 51	10.3 2nd of 51
Illicit Drug Use Past MonthDrug Use by State	26.2% 49th of 51	14.2% 9th of 51
Overall ScoreBest States to Retire	19.48 49th of 50	28.06 10th of 50
Viability RankFarming-Friendly States	45th 45th of 50	6th 6th of 50
Political DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	8th 8th of 50	46th 46th 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, Maine or South Dakota?: South Dakota comes out ahead of Maine on 400 of 778 statistics where one end is better, to 369 with 9 ties. Maine leads on Sports, Crime & Safety and Environment and 4 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Facts & Trivia and Infrastructure & Energy and 4 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Maine or South Dakota?: Maine has a population of 1,421,310 (42nd of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do Maine and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Maine $74,733 (33rd of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
How do Maine and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Maine 3.4% (tied 10th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does Maine beat South Dakota most clearly?: Maine ranks far ahead on Forest Coverage (1-10) (Best States for Camping): 10 vs 0.25; Forest Coverage (Off-Grid Living Legal States): 89.5% vs 3.93%; Eggflation (Cost Increase Per Dozen) (Egg Prices by State): 41.0% vs 137.0%.
Where does South Dakota beat Maine most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Religious Diversity (Least Diverse States in the US): 2nd vs 49th; Price Level (Other Services) (Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)): 91.9 vs 103.2; YoY Median Price Growth: All Home Types (Median Home Price by State): -2.5% vs 7.3%.

More matchups

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