Which has more people, Minnesota or South Dakota?

Minnesota has a population of 5,863,405 (22nd of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: Minnesota $89,062 (14th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Minnesota ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): Minnesota 3.9% (tied 23rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does Minnesota beat South Dakota most clearly?

Minnesota ranks far ahead on Share of Minimum Wage Workers Income (Child Care Cost by State): 97.5% vs 36.3%; Share of Annual Family Income (Child Care Cost by State): 18.8% vs 9.4%; Annual Median Wage (Optometrist Salary by State): $150,110 vs $102,890.

Where does South Dakota beat Minnesota most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Home Health Care Cost per Capita (Health Care Costs by State): $123 vs $599; Annual Child Care Cost for Infant (Child Care Cost by State): $8,680 vs $22,569; Local Taxes Rank (Best States to Retire): 1st vs 44th.

Minnesota vs South Dakota

Minnesota comes out ahead of South Dakota on 462 of 791 statistics where one end is better, to 313 with 16 ties. Minnesota leads on Sports, Crime & Safety and Health and 12 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture.

791 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 16 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Minnesota

Wins: 462
Avg. percentile: 60
Categories led: 15

South Dakota

Wins: 313
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 1

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Minnesota	South Dakota
Population	5,863,405 22nd of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$89,062 14th of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	3.9% tied 23rd of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	9.3% 3rd of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	98.6 30th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$62,039 14th of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$71,160 15th of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,280 29th of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	223.5 13th of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	8,534 46th of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

SportsMinnesota · 16 statistics
Crime & SafetyMinnesota · 74 statistics
HealthMinnesota · 187 statistics
EducationMinnesota · 51 statistics
AgricultureSouth Dakota · 17 statistics
EconomicsMinnesota · 294 statistics
CultureMinnesota · 78 statistics
PopulationMinnesota · 124 statistics
Facts & TriviaMinnesota · 18 statistics
Politics & GovernmentMinnesota · 124 statistics
Tech & BusinessMinnesota · 48 statistics
TravelMinnesota · 29 statistics
EnvironmentMinnesota · 38 statistics
GeographyMinnesota · 25 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyMinnesota · 36 statistics
LawMinnesota · 63 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	Minnesota	South Dakota
Home Health Care Cost per CapitaHealth Care Costs by State	$599 49th of 51	$123 1st of 51
Share of Minimum Wage Workers IncomeChild Care Cost by State	97.5% 3rd of 51	36.3% 51st of 51
Share of Annual Family IncomeChild Care Cost by State	18.8% 4th of 51	9.4% 51st of 51
Annual Child Care Cost for InfantChild Care Cost by State	$22,569 49th of 51	$8,680 3rd of 51
Annual Median WageOptometrist Salary by State	$150,110 2nd of 47	$102,890 42nd of 47
Hourly Median WageOptometrist Salary by State	$72.17 2nd of 47	$49.47 42nd of 47
Annual Conviction RateMost Corrupt States	0.13 per 10k Government Employees tied 5th of 50	0.85 per 10k Government Employees 48th of 50
Local Taxes RankBest States to Retire	44th 44th of 50	1st tied 1st of 50
Overall RankBest State To Incorporate In	45th 45th of 51	2nd 2nd of 51
FTE Convictions per Capita RankMost Corrupt States	46th 5th best of 50	4th 4th worst of 50
Corporate Tax RankBest State To Incorporate In	43rd 44th of 51	1st tied 1st of 51
Annual Cost IncreaseGrocery Prices by State	4.7% 9th of 50	12.6% 50th of 50
Total RankBicycle Laws by State	5th 5th of 50	46th 46th of 50
Workplace Safety Rank WalletHubSafest States in the US	6th 6th of 50	47th 47th of 50
Renewable Energy IncentivesOff-Grid Living Legal States	131 2nd of 50	20 43rd of 50
State Rank State GovtPublic Land by State	9th 8th of 49	49th 48th of 49
Health Care RankDisability Benefits by State	7th tied 7th of 51	49th 49th of 51
Political DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	5th tied 5th of 50	46th 46th of 50
Annual Child Care Cost for 4-Year-OldChild Care Cost by State	$17,882 48th of 51	$7,893 7th of 51
Corruption Score (BestLife)Most Corrupt States	78.42 8th of 50	3.87 48th of 50
Annual Mean WageDentist Salary by State	$191,090 6th of 39	$144,860 37th of 39
Hourly Mean WageDentist Salary by State	$91.87 6th of 39	$69.64 37th of 39
Infant Mortality RateInfant Mortality Rate by State	4.1 6th of 49	7.3 45th of 49
Individual Income Tax RankBest State To Incorporate In	43rd 43rd of 51	1st tied 1st of 51
Affordability RankDisability Benefits by State	45th 45th of 51	5th 5th of 51
Annual Mean WageNurse Salary by State	$88,860 12th of 51	$64,500 51st of 51
Best States for Teachers Total ScoreBest States for Teachers	52.51 8th of 51	38.24 47th of 51
Hourly Mean WageNurse Salary by State	$42.72 12th of 51	$31.01 51st of 51
RN Annual MedianNurses Pay by State	$97,300 11th of 51	$67,030 50th of 51
RN Hourly MedianNurses Pay by State	$46.78 11th of 51	$32.23 50th of 51

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, Minnesota or South Dakota?: Minnesota comes out ahead of South Dakota on 462 of 791 statistics where one end is better, to 313 with 16 ties. Minnesota leads on Sports, Crime & Safety and Health and 12 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Minnesota or South Dakota?: Minnesota has a population of 5,863,405 (22nd of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do Minnesota and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Minnesota $89,062 (14th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Minnesota ranks better.
How do Minnesota and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Minnesota 3.9% (tied 23rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does Minnesota beat South Dakota most clearly?: Minnesota ranks far ahead on Share of Minimum Wage Workers Income (Child Care Cost by State): 97.5% vs 36.3%; Share of Annual Family Income (Child Care Cost by State): 18.8% vs 9.4%; Annual Median Wage (Optometrist Salary by State): $150,110 vs $102,890.
Where does South Dakota beat Minnesota most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Home Health Care Cost per Capita (Health Care Costs by State): $123 vs $599; Annual Child Care Cost for Infant (Child Care Cost by State): $8,680 vs $22,569; Local Taxes Rank (Best States to Retire): 1st vs 44th.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Minnesota or South Dakota.

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