Health Profile of Clay County, South Dakota
Clay 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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A
Clay County Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in South Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Clay County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.1% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 9.0% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Clay County is 78.9 years, about 1.1 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 9.1%, higher than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 9.0% of residents, lower than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
3,707 residents in Clay County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 279 104 men · 174 women
- 75–84 478 211 men · 267 women
- 65–74 1,005 522 men · 483 women
- 50–64 1,946 1,015 men · 931 women
Younger residents
2,498 residents in Clay County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 755 418 boys · 337 girls
- 7–12 730 367 boys · 362 girls
- 3–7 573 269 boys · 304 girls
- 0–3 440 199 boys · 241 girls
About 551 residents in Clay County (3.6% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 78.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Clay County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 6.5% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.4% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 4.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 30.4% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Clay County is about 39% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of diabetes in Clay County is about 38% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of cancer in Clay County is about 30% lower than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Clay County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 14.4% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 22.6% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 18.7% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Clay County is about 27% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Clay County is about 26% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of binge drinking in Clay County is about 20% higher than in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 18,148 cigarettes a day, 544,454 a month, or 6.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 199,633 minutes a day and 72.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Clay County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.76 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 | Clay County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.38 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.4 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Clay County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Clay County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Clay County, SD is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 15,219 residents against a local median of 8,882. Clay County, SD's uninsured, at 9.1%, runs 52% above the 6.0% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 30.4% against a local median of 37.7%, 19% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: obesity runs ahead of the neighbourhood while uninsured runs behind it, so Clay County, SD is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 4.1% on uninsured, so Clay County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clay County, SD has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, SD | 15,219 | 78.9 yrs #6/6 | 9.1% #5/6 | 30.4% #1/6 |
| Union County, SD | 17,081 | 80.7 yrs | 5.1% | 37.7% |
| Cedar County, NE | 8,315 | 81.3 yrs | 6.0% | 35.5% |
| Yankton County, SD | 23,415 | 79.6 yrs | 5.6% | 37.8% |
| Turner County, SD | 8,882 | 80.1 yrs | 7.0% | 33.1% |
| Dixon County, NE | 5,545 | 80.6 yrs | 9.2% | 38.8% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Clay County, South Dakota has an overall health index grade of A, making it notably better than South Dakota, and notably better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Clay County, South Dakota.
How healthy is Clay County, South Dakota?
Clay County, South Dakota has a Map AI Health Index grade of A, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; an A grade means residents are much healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Clay County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Clay County ranks 3rd 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 Clay County, South Dakota?
People in Clay County, South Dakota can expect to live 78.9 years on average, 1.1 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9.
What is the uninsured rate in Clay County, South Dakota?
9.1% of residents in Clay County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, about the same as the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
How common is obesity in Clay County, South Dakota?
30.4% of adults in Clay County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.5 points below the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Clay County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 18,148 cigarettes a day, 544,454 a month, or 6.6 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 199,633 minutes a day and 72.9 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Clay County is 78.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.00 lifetimes a day, or 1.76 lifetimes a year.
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