Two South Dakota Counties Are among the Healthiest in America

A pair of Southeast South Dakota counties and one Northwest Iowa county are some of the biggest bastions of health in the United States.

U.S News & World Report is out with its list of the 500 healthiest communities in America, based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The rankings are based on scores in ten different categories:

• POPULATION HEALTH
• EQUITY
• EDUCATION
• ECONOMY
• HOUSING
• FOOD & NUTRITION
• ENVIRONMENT
• PUBLIC SAFETY
• COMMUNITY VITALITY
• INFRASTRUCTURE

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In South Dakota, a pair of counties are in the top 25.

Union County is 14th overall, with its highest marks in infrastructure (84), equity (82), housing (82), and food & nutrition (82). Elk Point is the county seat.

Seven spots down at number 21 is Lincoln County.

The home to Canton as the county seat secured its best scores in economy (86), population health (82), food & nutrition (81), and infrastructure (81).

Just over the border in Northwest Iowa, Sioux County (Orange City is the county seat) cracked the top ten on the list, checking in at the sixth-healthiest county in America.

Sioux County scored a robust 90 in infrastructure and registered a mark of 80 or above in five of the other nine categories.

HEALTHIEST COUNTIES IN AMERICA

1. Los Alamos County, New Mexico
2. Falls Church County, Virginia
3. Douglas County, Colorado
4. Morgan County, Utah
5. Carver County, Minnesota
6. Sioux County, Iowa
7. Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
8. Hamilton County, Indiana
9. Broomfield County, Colorado
10. Delaware County, Ohio