Which has more people, Nebraska or South Dakota?

Nebraska has a population of 2,030,421 (38th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: Nebraska $76,475 (29th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Nebraska ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): Nebraska 3% (6th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does Nebraska beat South Dakota most clearly?

Nebraska ranks far ahead on Attractive People Rank (Most Attractive States): 4th vs 50th; FTE Lack of Laws Rank (Most Corrupt States): 46th vs 2nd; SSI Electoral Oversight Score (Most Corrupt States): 85.4 vs 56.3.

Where does South Dakota beat Nebraska most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Fiscal Policy Rank (Most Free States): 4th vs 47th; Fiscal Freedom Rank (Most Libertarian States): 3rd vs 45th; Annual (Radiation Therapist Salary by State): $109,009 vs $80,547.

Nebraska vs South Dakota

Nebraska comes out ahead of South Dakota on 416 of 791 statistics where one end is better, to 355 with 20 ties. Nebraska leads on Crime & Safety, Education and Health and 5 more categories. South Dakota leads on Sports, Travel and Infrastructure & Energy and 3 more categories.

791 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 20 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Nebraska

Wins: 416
Avg. percentile: 54
Categories led: 8

South Dakota

Wins: 355
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 6

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Nebraska	South Dakota
Population	2,030,421 38th of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$76,475 29th of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	3% 6th of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	10.6% 18th of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	90.1 11th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$65,297 6th of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$62,400 32nd of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,072 17th of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	218.4 12th of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	6,281 34th of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

SportsSouth Dakota · 16 statistics
Crime & SafetyNebraska · 72 statistics
TravelSouth Dakota · 29 statistics
EducationNebraska · 50 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Dakota · 36 statistics
HealthNebraska · 186 statistics
PopulationNebraska · 124 statistics
Politics & GovernmentNebraska · 124 statistics
Facts & TriviaNebraska · 18 statistics
GeographySouth Dakota · 25 statistics
EnvironmentNebraska · 38 statistics
Tech & BusinessSouth Dakota · 48 statistics
EconomicsNebraska · 294 statistics
LawSouth Dakota · 64 statistics
AgricultureEven · 17 statistics
CultureEven · 78 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	Nebraska	South Dakota
Attractive People RankMost Attractive States	4th 4th of 49	50th 49th of 49
FTE Lack of Laws RankMost Corrupt States	46th 5th best of 50	2nd 2nd worst of 50
Fiscal Policy RankMost Free States	47th 47th of 50	4th 4th of 50
Fiscal Freedom RankMost Libertarian States	45th 45th of 50	3rd 3rd of 50
SSI Electoral Oversight ScoreMost Corrupt States	85.4 2nd of 50	56.3 tied 42nd of 50
FTE Convictions per Capita RankMost Corrupt States	43rd 8th best of 50	4th 4th worst of 50
AnnualRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$80,547 44th of 50	$109,009 5th of 50
Corruption Score (BestLife)Most Corrupt States	77.18 9th of 50	3.87 48th of 50
HourlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$38.72 44th of 50	$52.41 5th of 50
MonthlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$6,712 44th of 50	$9,084 5th of 50
WeeklyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$1,548 44th of 50	$2,096 5th of 50
SSI Lobbying Disclosure ScoreMost Corrupt States	70.8 tied 10th of 50	39.6 49th of 50
# Dentists per 1k jobsDentist Salary by State	1.02 6th of 50	0.6 44th of 50
DTaP 4 DosesVaccination Rates by State	85.9% 7th of 51	77.0% tied 45th of 51
State Integrity Investigation (SII) Total ScoreMost Corrupt States	67 tied 7th of 50	56 tied 47th of 50
SSI ProcurementMost Corrupt States	79.6 6th of 50	60 43rd of 50
Training Requirements RankBest State To Be a Police Officer	46th 46th of 51	9th 9th of 51
Fatality RateFloods by State	0.22 13th of 47	5.99 47th of 47
Lake Surface Area (acres)Bass Fishing by State	2,900 42nd of 50	370,000 6th of 50
Lake Surface Area (mi)Bass Fishing by State	4.5 42nd of 50	578.1 6th of 50
Billionaires' Net WorthMost Billionaires by State	$118B 6th of 42	$3.4B 36th of 42
Avg Annual FatalitiesDeadliest Highway by State	23.5 39th of 50	5.5 4th of 50
Overall Freedom RankMost Libertarian States	38th 38th of 50	3rd 3rd of 50
Overall Freedom ScoreMost Libertarian States	-0.02 38th of 50	0.52 3rd of 50
Millwright Avg Annual SalaryUnion Millwright Pay Scale by State	$60,857 8th of 50	$49,156 tied 42nd of 50
Overall RankBest States to Retire	46th 46th of 50	12th 12th of 50
Campsite Quality (1-10)Best States for Camping	4.64 40th of 49	8.65 7th of 49
Estimated TaxesLeast Taxed States	$11,085 43rd of 51	$6,321 9th of 51
Tax as % of IncomeLeast Taxed States	12.7% 43rd of 51	7.2% 9th of 51
YoY Median Price Growth: All Home TypesMedian Home Price by State	5.3% 37th of 51	-2.5% 3rd 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, Nebraska or South Dakota?: Nebraska comes out ahead of South Dakota on 416 of 791 statistics where one end is better, to 355 with 20 ties. Nebraska leads on Crime & Safety, Education and Health and 5 more categories. South Dakota leads on Sports, Travel and Infrastructure & Energy and 3 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Nebraska or South Dakota?: Nebraska has a population of 2,030,421 (38th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do Nebraska and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Nebraska $76,475 (29th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Nebraska ranks better.
How do Nebraska and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Nebraska 3% (6th of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does Nebraska beat South Dakota most clearly?: Nebraska ranks far ahead on Attractive People Rank (Most Attractive States): 4th vs 50th; FTE Lack of Laws Rank (Most Corrupt States): 46th vs 2nd; SSI Electoral Oversight Score (Most Corrupt States): 85.4 vs 56.3.
Where does South Dakota beat Nebraska most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Fiscal Policy Rank (Most Free States): 4th vs 47th; Fiscal Freedom Rank (Most Libertarian States): 3rd vs 45th; Annual (Radiation Therapist Salary by State): $109,009 vs $80,547.

More matchups

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