Which has more people, North Dakota or South Dakota?

North Dakota has a population of 805,329 (47th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: North Dakota $76,657 (28th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. North Dakota ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): North Dakota 2.6% (3rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does North Dakota beat South Dakota most clearly?

North Dakota ranks far ahead on Health Racial Progress Rank (Least Racist States): 1st vs 47th; SSI Electoral Oversight Score (Most Corrupt States): 86.8 vs 56.3; Aluminum Can Price (Aluminum Can Prices by State): $0.30 per lb vs $0.75 per lb.

Where does South Dakota beat North Dakota most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on YoY Median Price Growth: All Home Types (Median Home Price by State): -2.5% vs 11.9%; Chronically Homeless (Homeless Population by State): 151 vs 5,077; Training Requirements Rank (Best State To Be a Police Officer): 9th vs 49th.

North Dakota vs South Dakota

North Dakota comes out ahead of South Dakota on 418 of 778 statistics where one end is better, to 341 with 19 ties. North Dakota leads on Crime & Safety, Politics & Government and Tech & Business and 6 more categories. South Dakota leads on Travel, Facts & Trivia and Geography and 2 more categories.

778 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 19 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

North Dakota

Wins: 418
Avg. percentile: 54
Categories led: 9

South Dakota

Wins: 341
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 5

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	North Dakota	South Dakota
Population	805,329 47th of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$76,657 28th of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	2.6% 3rd of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	10.8% 20th of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	89.0 8th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$65,271 7th of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$64,050 31st of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$954 tied 4th of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	238.1 18th of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	9,184 48th of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

TravelSouth Dakota · 28 statistics
Facts & TriviaSouth Dakota · 17 statistics
GeographySouth Dakota · 25 statistics
Crime & SafetyNorth Dakota · 63 statistics
EnvironmentSouth Dakota · 38 statistics
Politics & GovernmentNorth Dakota · 116 statistics
Tech & BusinessNorth Dakota · 48 statistics
HealthNorth Dakota · 186 statistics
AgricultureNorth Dakota · 17 statistics
EconomicsNorth Dakota · 291 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyNorth Dakota · 36 statistics
SportsNorth Dakota · 16 statistics
LawNorth Dakota · 62 statistics
EducationSouth Dakota · 51 statistics
CultureEven · 78 statistics
PopulationEven · 124 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	North Dakota	South Dakota
Health Racial Progress RankLeast Racist States	1st 1st of 47	47th 47th of 47
YoY Median Price Growth: All Home TypesMedian Home Price by State	11.9% 51st of 51	-2.5% 3rd of 51
SSI Electoral Oversight ScoreMost Corrupt States	86.8 1st of 50	56.3 tied 42nd of 50
Aluminum Can PriceAluminum Can Prices by State	$0.30 per lb 6th of 43	$0.75 per lb 42nd of 43
Chronically HomelessHomeless Population by State	5,077 47th of 51	151 5th of 51
Average SalaryHighest Paying Jobs by State	$373,230 3rd of 50	$336,300 44th of 50
Share of Minimum Wage Workers IncomeChild Care Cost by State	82.0% 10th of 51	36.3% 51st of 51
Training Requirements RankBest State To Be a Police Officer	49th 49th of 51	9th 9th of 51
FatalitiesFloods by State	15 tied 5th of 47	249 41st of 47
Food and Health Support RankBest States to Be Homeless	1st 1st of 50	38th 38th of 50
Median Income - Five Person HouseholdMedian Household Income by State	$143,710 5th of 51	$100,057 42nd of 51
Community & Environment RankHappiest States	41st 41st of 50	6th 5th of 50
Overall Homelessness Help ScoreBest States to Be Homeless	61.51 3rd of 50	41.71 39th of 50
Service Fees (USD)Bad Check Laws by State	$20.00 tied 2nd of 50	$30.00 tied 35th of 50
Greenest StatesMost Beautiful States	43rd 43rd of 50	9th 9th of 50
Urban Roads in Poor ConditionRoad Quality by State	48.0% 42nd of 49	15.8% 10th of 49
Consumer Affairs Overall RankGreenest States	41st 41st of 51	8th 8th of 51
Annual SalarySchool Counselor Salary by State	$43,079 47th of 50	$53,855 15th of 50
Hourly WageSchool Counselor Salary by State	$20.71 47th of 50	$25.89 15th of 50
Monthly PaySchool Counselor Salary by State	$3,589 47th of 50	$4,487 15th of 50
Weekly PaySchool Counselor Salary by State	$828 47th of 50	$1,035 15th of 50
WH Climate Change RankGreenest States	46th 46th of 50	14th 14th of 50
Annual SalaryPhysical Therapist Salary by State	$71,625 47th of 50	$89,541 16th of 50
Hourly WagePhysical Therapist Salary by State	$34.44 47th of 50	$43.05 16th of 50
Monthly PayPhysical Therapist Salary by State	$5,968 47th of 50	$7,461 16th of 50
Police Pensions Avg. Annual PayPolice Pensions by State	$51,044 41st of 50	$60,629 10th of 50
Weekly PayPhysical Therapist Salary by State	$1,377 47th of 50	$1,721 16th of 50
PrisonersPrisons by State	295 9th of 50	601 tied 39th of 50
Bad Driving IndexWorst Drivers by State	91.3 48th of 49	52.9 tied 18th of 49
Campsite Quality (1-10)Best States for Camping	5.12 36th of 49	8.65 7th of 49

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, North Dakota or South Dakota?: North Dakota comes out ahead of South Dakota on 418 of 778 statistics where one end is better, to 341 with 19 ties. North Dakota leads on Crime & Safety, Politics & Government and Tech & Business and 6 more categories. South Dakota leads on Travel, Facts & Trivia and Geography and 2 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, North Dakota or South Dakota?: North Dakota has a population of 805,329 (47th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do North Dakota and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: North Dakota $76,657 (28th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. North Dakota ranks better.
How do North Dakota and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): North Dakota 2.6% (3rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does North Dakota beat South Dakota most clearly?: North Dakota ranks far ahead on Health Racial Progress Rank (Least Racist States): 1st vs 47th; SSI Electoral Oversight Score (Most Corrupt States): 86.8 vs 56.3; Aluminum Can Price (Aluminum Can Prices by State): $0.30 per lb vs $0.75 per lb.
Where does South Dakota beat North Dakota most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on YoY Median Price Growth: All Home Types (Median Home Price by State): -2.5% vs 11.9%; Chronically Homeless (Homeless Population by State): 151 vs 5,077; Training Requirements Rank (Best State To Be a Police Officer): 9th vs 49th.

More matchups

Other comparisons with North Dakota or South Dakota.

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