Which has more people, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?

Pennsylvania has a population of 13,073,016 (5th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: Pennsylvania $77,971 (24th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Pennsylvania ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): Pennsylvania 4.3% (tied 33rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.

Where does Pennsylvania beat South Dakota most clearly?

Pennsylvania ranks far ahead on Share of Minimum Wage Workers Income (Child Care Cost by State): 88.6% vs 36.3%; State Rank State Govt (Public Land by State): 5th vs 49th; Annual Cost Increase (Grocery Prices by State): 4.2% vs 12.6%.

Where does South Dakota beat Pennsylvania most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Other Drug Use Rate (Per 100k) (Drug Use by State): 42.07 vs 76.31; Infrastructure Rank (Farming-Friendly States): 5th vs 50th; Home Health Care Cost per Capita (Health Care Costs by State): $123 vs $426.

Pennsylvania vs South Dakota

Pennsylvania comes out ahead of South Dakota on 404 of 788 statistics where one end is better, to 375 with 9 ties. Pennsylvania leads on Sports, Education and Tech & Business and 5 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Environment and 4 more categories.

788 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.

Pennsylvania

Wins: 404
Avg. percentile: 51
Categories led: 8

South Dakota

Wins: 375
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 7

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Pennsylvania	South Dakota
Population	13,073,016 5th of 51	943,078 46th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$77,971 24th of 51	$75,081 31st of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	4.3% tied 33rd of 51	2.1% 1st of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	11.7% 25th of 51	11.9% 27th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	97.6 28th of 51	88.6 6th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$58,620 24th of 51	$69,153 5th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$65,730 25th of 51	$57,610 45th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,209 24th of 51	$946 2nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	226.8 14th of 51	307.5 28th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	5,700 28th of 48	7,633 42nd of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureSouth Dakota · 17 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Dakota · 36 statistics
SportsPennsylvania · 16 statistics
EnvironmentSouth Dakota · 38 statistics
GeographySouth Dakota · 25 statistics
EducationPennsylvania · 51 statistics
Facts & TriviaSouth Dakota · 18 statistics
Tech & BusinessPennsylvania · 48 statistics
TravelPennsylvania · 29 statistics
PopulationPennsylvania · 120 statistics
Politics & GovernmentPennsylvania · 122 statistics
CulturePennsylvania · 78 statistics
Crime & SafetySouth Dakota · 73 statistics
HealthPennsylvania · 182 statistics
EconomicsSouth Dakota · 291 statistics
LawEven · 67 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	Pennsylvania	South Dakota
Other Drug Use Rate (Per 100k)Drug Use by State	76.31 47th of 51	42.07 1st of 51
Share of Minimum Wage Workers IncomeChild Care Cost by State	88.6% 5th of 51	36.3% 51st of 51
Infrastructure RankFarming-Friendly States	50th 50th of 50	5th 5th of 50
State Rank State GovtPublic Land by State	5th 4th of 49	49th 48th of 49
Annual Cost IncreaseGrocery Prices by State	4.2% tied 5th of 50	12.6% 50th of 50
Home Health Care Cost per CapitaHealth Care Costs by State	$426 46th of 51	$123 1st of 51
Deaths in 1918Spanish Flu Deaths by State	60,000 49th of 49	1,847 6th of 49
InmatesFederal Prisons by State	8,578 33rd of 36	343 2nd of 36
U-6 Unemployment Rate Q2 2022U6 Employment Rate	8.4% tied 45th of 51	4.2% 2nd of 51
Employment RateEmployment Rate by State	95.8% 44th of 51	98.1% 1st of 51
Lyme Disease Cases Reported 2000-2020Tick Population by State	134,624 50th of 50	97 8th of 50
Political DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	4th 4th of 50	46th 46th of 50
EconomyBest States to Live In	47th 46th of 49	5th 5th of 49
Single Family (Max Appraisal Fees in State)Appraisal Fees by State	$650 tied 1st of 51	$1,000 tied 42nd of 51
Lyme Disease CasesTick Population by State	16,671 49th of 50	7 tied 7th of 50
Avg. Internet SpeedAverage Internet Speed by State	430.8 7th of 51	191.7 49th of 51
Maximum Annual SalaryIBEW Pay Scale by State	$141,940 3rd of 51	$68,040 45th of 51
Economic Diversity RankMost Diverse US States	49th 49th of 50	8th 8th of 50
Mitigation Efforts RankFood Waste by State	42nd 9th best of 50	1st worst of 50
Infrastructure RankWorst States to Live in	8th 8th worst of 50	49th 2nd best of 50
Corporate Tax RankBest State To Incorporate In	42nd 43rd of 51	1st tied 1st of 51
Cocaine Use Rate (Per 100k)Drug Use by State	707.93 44th of 51	385.47 3rd of 51
Opioid Use Rate (Per 100k)Opioid Epidemic by State	2,753.69 44th of 51	1,221.13 3rd of 51
Economic DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	49th 49th of 50	9th 9th of 50
FTE Reporter RankMost Corrupt States	6th 6th worst of 49	44th 5th best of 49
U-6 Unemployment Rate Q3 2022U6 Employment Rate	7.8% tied 43rd of 51	4.4% 3rd of 51
Related Groups per Capita RankBest States to Homeschool	47th 47th of 50	8th 8th of 50
Health Racial Progress RankLeast Racist States	11th 11th of 47	47th 47th of 47
90th Percentile WageTeacher Pay by State	$101,220 12th of 51	$59,840 51st of 51
Livability RankDisability Benefits by State	1st 1st of 51	40th 40th 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, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?: Pennsylvania comes out ahead of South Dakota on 404 of 788 statistics where one end is better, to 375 with 9 ties. Pennsylvania leads on Sports, Education and Tech & Business and 5 more categories. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Environment and 4 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Pennsylvania or South Dakota?: Pennsylvania has a population of 13,073,016 (5th of 51 US states) and South Dakota has 943,078 (46th of 51).
How do Pennsylvania and South Dakota compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Pennsylvania $77,971 (24th of 51), South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51) among US states. Pennsylvania ranks better.
How do Pennsylvania and South Dakota compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Pennsylvania 4.3% (tied 33rd of 51), South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does Pennsylvania beat South Dakota most clearly?: Pennsylvania ranks far ahead on Share of Minimum Wage Workers Income (Child Care Cost by State): 88.6% vs 36.3%; State Rank State Govt (Public Land by State): 5th vs 49th; Annual Cost Increase (Grocery Prices by State): 4.2% vs 12.6%.
Where does South Dakota beat Pennsylvania most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Other Drug Use Rate (Per 100k) (Drug Use by State): 42.07 vs 76.31; Infrastructure Rank (Farming-Friendly States): 5th vs 50th; Home Health Care Cost per Capita (Health Care Costs by State): $123 vs $426.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Pennsylvania or South Dakota.

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