Why Isn’t South Dakota the Safest State to Live In?

Those of us who live and work in South Dakota tend to think that we live in a very safe state. The number of people moving into our state would seem to reflect that same feeling.

In the United Van Lines annual migration study for 2020, South Dakota had the 4th highest percentage of people moving here.

The top 5 states with the most inbound people from other states are:

1. Idaho
2. South Carolina
3. Oregon
4. South Dakota
5. Arizona

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Is South Dakota a Safe State?

However, in the new WalletHub study of the Safest States in America, South Dakota didn't fare as well as you'd think. Our state came in 36th.

There were 5 main categories that they used to compare all the states: 1) Personal & Residential Safety, 2) Financial Safety, 3) Road Safety, 4) Workplace Safety, and 5) Emergency Preparedness.

South Dakota ranked very high in the Financial Safety category, coming in third. This category included things like unemployment, poverty, and foreclosure rates, as well as bankruptcy filings, and job security.

The areas where we ranked fairly low were A) Workplace Safety (9th) and B) Emergency Preparedness (39th).

These two categories examined everything from fatal occupational injuries and other illnesses and injuries to the number of climate disasters a state had and the financial losses from those disasters.

WalletHub uses a huge variety of resources when gathering these statistics, like the U.S Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI, CDC, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Zillow, U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and many more.

To see the complete report go to WalletHub.

Sources: WalletHub and United Van Lines