South Dakota Has Baby Fever

It was big news earlier this month when it was revealed that the population of Sioux Falls had surpassed a major milestone - exceeding 200,000 people for the first time.

But it's not just Sioux Falls that is adding people.

The entire state of South Dakota is welcoming a batch of new residents on a regular basis thanks to one of the highest birth rates in America.

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24/7 Wall St., using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program, puts the Mount Rushmore State at number five overall when it comes to the number of new births per 1,000 residents.

From July 2020 to July 2021 there were 10,843 births in South Dakota or 12.2 per every 1,000 people in the state. The national average is 10.8 births per 1,000 people.

That represents an uptick of 1.2% in the population due to new births.

STATES WITH HIGHEST BIRTH RATES (per 1,000 residents)

1. Utah (13.8)
2. Alaska (12.7)
3. North Dakota (12.6)
4. Texas (12.4)
5. South Dakota (12.2)
6. Louisiana (12.0)
7. Nebraska (12.0)
8. Oklahoma (11.9)
9. Mississippi (11.8)
10. Arkansas (11.6)

STATES WITH LOWEST BIRTH RATES (per 1,000 residents)

1. Vermont (7.9)
2. New Hampshire (8.3)
3. Maine (8.3)
4. Rhode Island (8.9)
5. Connecticut (9.1)
6. Oregon (9.4)
7. Massachusetts (9.4)
8. West Virginia (9.6)
9. Montana (9.7)
10. Florida (9.7)

Overall, the population in the United States rose 7.4% from 2010 to 2020 to 331,449,281 people.