Which has more people, South Dakota or Virginia?

South Dakota has a population of 943,078 (46th of 51 US states) and Virginia has 8,940,572 (12th of 51).

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

Median Household Income: South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51), Virginia $93,170 (12th of 51) among US states. Virginia ranks better.

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

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

Where does South Dakota beat Virginia most clearly?

South Dakota ranks far ahead on Affordability Rank (Disability Benefits by State): 5th vs 50th; Student Loan Average Borrower Debt (Student Loan Debt by State): $30,954 vs $39,165; Median Doc Fee (Car Dealer Fees by State): $199 vs $899.

Where does Virginia beat South Dakota most clearly?

Virginia ranks far ahead on 90th Percentile Wage (Teacher Pay by State): $131,920 vs $59,840; Avg. Internet Speed (Average Internet Speed by State): 505.6 vs 191.7; Workplace Safety Rank WalletHub (Safest States in the US): 1st vs 47th.

South Dakota vs Virginia

Virginia comes out ahead of South Dakota on 437 of 792 statistics where one end is better, to 345 with 10 ties. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Environment and 1 more category. Virginia leads on Crime & Safety, Education and Health and 9 more categories.

792 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 10 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

South Dakota

Wins: 345
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 4

Virginia

Wins: 437
Avg. percentile: 57
Categories led: 12

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	South Dakota	Virginia
Population	943,078 46th of 51	8,940,572 12th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$75,081 31st of 51	$93,170 12th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	2.1% 1st of 51	3.4% tied 10th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	11.9% 27th of 51	9.89% 7th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	88.6 6th of 51	101.1 36th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$69,153 5th of 51	$61,914 15th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$57,610 45th of 51	$74,040 11th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$946 2nd of 51	$1,579 40th of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	307.5 28th of 51	205.9 8th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	7,633 42nd of 48	4,258 15th of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureSouth Dakota · 17 statistics
Crime & SafetyVirginia · 74 statistics
EducationVirginia · 51 statistics
HealthVirginia · 183 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Dakota · 36 statistics
SportsVirginia · 16 statistics
PopulationVirginia · 124 statistics
EnvironmentSouth Dakota · 38 statistics
Politics & GovernmentVirginia · 123 statistics
Facts & TriviaSouth Dakota · 18 statistics
TravelVirginia · 29 statistics
Tech & BusinessVirginia · 48 statistics
CultureVirginia · 78 statistics
EconomicsVirginia · 288 statistics
GeographyVirginia · 25 statistics
LawVirginia · 68 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	South Dakota	Virginia
90th Percentile WageTeacher Pay by State	$59,840 51st of 51	$131,920 1st of 51
Avg. Internet SpeedAverage Internet Speed by State	191.7 49th of 51	505.6 2nd of 51
Workplace Safety Rank WalletHubSafest States in the US	47th 47th of 50	1st 1st of 50
Best States for Teachers Total ScoreBest States for Teachers	38.24 47th of 51	59.97 1st of 51
Chat GPT Messages per Capita RankChatGPT Usage by State	48th 48th of 51	2nd 2nd of 51
Affordability RankDisability Benefits by State	5th 5th of 51	50th 50th of 51
Mean Annual WageOT Salary by State	$76,900 50th of 51	$97,980 5th of 51
Mean Hourly WageOT Salary by State	$36.97 50th of 51	$47.11 5th of 51
Student Loan Average Borrower DebtStudent Loan Debt by State	$30,954 3rd of 51	$39,165 48th of 51
Median Federal Employee IncomeFederal Government Employees by State	$77,390 tied 45th of 50	$117,962 3rd of 50
SSI Civil Service Management ScoreMost Corrupt States	50.7 47th of 50	70.4 3rd of 50
Annual Mean WageSpeech Pathologist Salary by State	$64,030 51st of 51	$97,940 7th of 51
Hourly Mean WageSpeech Pathologist Salary by State	$30.78 51st of 51	$47.09 7th of 51
# Dentists per 1k jobsDentist Salary by State	0.6 44th of 50	1.34 1st of 50
Median Annual WageOT Salary by State	$76,400 50th of 51	$97,080 7th of 51
Median Hourly WageOT Salary by State	$36.73 50th of 51	$46.68 7th of 51
Median Doc FeeCar Dealer Fees by State	$199 tied 7th of 51	$899 tied last of 51
Annual Median WageSpeech Pathologist Salary by State	$62,780 51st of 51	$97,470 9th of 51
Average (Minutes)Commute Time by State	17.3 1st of 51	28.6 43rd of 51
Hourly Median WageSpeech Pathologist Salary by State	$30.18 51st of 51	$46.86 9th of 51
Climate RankFarming-Friendly States	47th 47th of 50	6th 6th of 50
SSI ProcurementMost Corrupt States	60 43rd of 50	85.8 2nd of 50
% of Pop. with Associates DegreeMost Educated U.S. States	13.2% 2nd of 51	7.8% tied 43rd of 51
Political DiversityLeast Diverse States in the US	46th 46th of 50	5th tied 5th of 50
Aluminum Can PriceAluminum Can Prices by State	$0.75 per lb 42nd of 43	$0.33 per lb tied 7th of 43
75th Percentile WageTeacher Pay by State	$52,100 51st of 51	$84,460 10th of 51
Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	17.8 1st of 51	27.3 42nd of 51
Average Commute Time (Minutes)Single Mom Friendly States	17 1st of 51	28 tied 41st of 51
DTaP 4 DosesVaccination Rates by State	77.0% tied 45th of 51	86.7% tied 4th of 51
Nurses per 1k PopulationNurse-Patient Ratios by State	15.78 2nd of 51	8 43rd 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, South Dakota or Virginia?: Virginia comes out ahead of South Dakota on 437 of 792 statistics where one end is better, to 345 with 10 ties. South Dakota leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Environment and 1 more category. Virginia leads on Crime & Safety, Education and Health and 9 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, South Dakota or Virginia?: South Dakota has a population of 943,078 (46th of 51 US states) and Virginia has 8,940,572 (12th of 51).
How do South Dakota and Virginia compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: South Dakota $75,081 (31st of 51), Virginia $93,170 (12th of 51) among US states. Virginia ranks better.
How do South Dakota and Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): South Dakota 2.1% (1st of 51), Virginia 3.4% (tied 10th of 51) among US states. South Dakota ranks better.
Where does South Dakota beat Virginia most clearly?: South Dakota ranks far ahead on Affordability Rank (Disability Benefits by State): 5th vs 50th; Student Loan Average Borrower Debt (Student Loan Debt by State): $30,954 vs $39,165; Median Doc Fee (Car Dealer Fees by State): $199 vs $899.
Where does Virginia beat South Dakota most clearly?: Virginia ranks far ahead on 90th Percentile Wage (Teacher Pay by State): $131,920 vs $59,840; Avg. Internet Speed (Average Internet Speed by State): 505.6 vs 191.7; Workplace Safety Rank WalletHub (Safest States in the US): 1st vs 47th.

More matchups

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