Health Profile of Buffalo County, South Dakota
Buffalo County Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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F
Buffalo County Well below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in South Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Buffalo County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 43.0% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 25.6% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Buffalo County is 74.8 years, about 5.1 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 43.0%, higher than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 25.6% of residents, higher than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
383 residents in Buffalo County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 9 5 men · 5 women
- 75–84 39 23 men · 16 women
- 65–74 93 42 men · 51 women
- 50–64 242 121 men · 121 women
Younger residents
656 residents in Buffalo County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 183 105 boys · 79 girls
- 7–12 176 96 boys · 81 girls
- 3–7 164 91 boys · 73 girls
- 0–3 132 78 boys · 53 girls
About 50 residents in Buffalo County (2.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 74.8 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Buffalo County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 15.5% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 4.9% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.4% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 42.3% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Buffalo County is about 47% higher than in South Dakota. The rate of cancer in Buffalo County is about 36% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of obesity in Buffalo County is about 21% higher than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Buffalo County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 37.9% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.2% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 36.7% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Buffalo County is about 91% higher than in South Dakota. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Buffalo County is about 45% higher than in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 4,169 cigarettes a day, 125,070 a month, or 1.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 45,859 minutes a day and 16.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Buffalo County is 74.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.43 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Buffalo County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.51 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Buffalo County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Buffalo County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Buffalo County, SD is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,808 residents against a local median of 3,140. Where Buffalo County, SD breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting more than 7 times the local median of 6.1% at 43.0%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 42.3% against a local median of 32.4%, 31% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Buffalo County, SD reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 17.9% of each other on uninsured, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Buffalo County, SD, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Buffalo County, SD has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, SD | 1,808 | 74.8 yrs #6/6 | 43.0% #6/6 | 42.3% #6/6 |
| Brule County, SD | 5,283 | 78.9 yrs | 6.8% | 34.0% |
| Hand County, SD | 3,140 | 81.3 yrs | 5.0% | 32.3% |
| Hyde County, SD | 1,191 | 80.8 yrs | 6.1% | 31.5% |
| Jerauld County, SD | 1,772 | 80.5 yrs | 3.4% | 32.4% |
| Lyman County, SD | 3,724 | 82.4 yrs | 21.3% | 39.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Buffalo County, South Dakota has an overall health index grade of F, making it worse than South Dakota, and worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Buffalo County, South Dakota.
How healthy is Buffalo County, South Dakota?
Buffalo County, South Dakota has a Map AI Health Index grade of F, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an F grade means residents face significantly worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is Buffalo County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Buffalo County ranks 61st healthiest out of 62 counties in South Dakota by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Buffalo County, South Dakota?
People in Buffalo County, South Dakota can expect to live 74.8 years on average, 5.1 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9.
What percentage of Buffalo County, South Dakota residents are uninsured?
43.0% of residents in Buffalo County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 2 people, 34.0 points above the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
What percentage of Buffalo County, South Dakota residents are obese?
42.3% of adults in Buffalo County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 7.4 points above the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
What is the biggest health concern in Buffalo County, South Dakota?
Compared with South Dakota as a whole, smoking stands out most: the adult rate here is 37.9%, about 91% higher than the South Dakota rate of 19.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Buffalo County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 4,169 cigarettes a day, 125,070 a month, or 1.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 45,859 minutes a day and 16.7 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Buffalo County is 74.8 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 0.43 lifetimes a year.
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