Health Profile of Hughes County, South Dakota
Hughes 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.
-
B
Hughes County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Hughes County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 6.7% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 11.0% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Hughes County is 79.9 years, about 0.1 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 6.7%, lower than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 11.0% of residents, lower than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
6,439 residents in Hughes County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 411 167 men · 244 women
- 75–84 869 376 men · 492 women
- 65–74 1,571 813 men · 757 women
- 50–64 3,588 1,800 men · 1,788 women
Younger residents
4,091 residents in Hughes County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,218 581 boys · 637 girls
- 7–12 1,283 646 boys · 636 girls
- 3–7 955 497 boys · 458 girls
- 0–3 635 334 boys · 302 girls
About 770 residents in Hughes County (4.4% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.9 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Hughes County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.6% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.9% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.3% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 35.0% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Hughes County is about 20% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of diabetes in Hughes County is about 18% lower than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Hughes County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17.3% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.0% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.2% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Hughes County are about the same as in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 23,166 cigarettes a day, 694,970 a month, or 8.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 254,822 minutes a day and 93.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Hughes County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.22 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 | Hughes County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 3.92 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 3.9 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Hughes County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Hughes County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Hughes County, SD is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 17,664 residents against a local median of 2,388. Hughes County, SD sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is uninsured, 10% above the local median at 6.7% against 6.1%. Hughes County, SD has the 5th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes County, SD | 17,664 | 79.9 yrs #5/6 | 6.7% #5/6 | 35.1% #5/6 |
| Sully County, SD | 1,526 | 79.4 yrs | 6.6% | 34.0% |
| Lyman County, SD | 3,724 | 82.4 yrs | 21.3% | 39.8% |
| Hyde County, SD | 1,191 | 80.8 yrs | 6.1% | 31.5% |
| Potter County, SD | 2,388 | 80.2 yrs | 4.3% | 33.1% |
| Stanley County, SD | 3,015 | 80.9 yrs | 3.4% | 34.2% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Hughes County, South Dakota has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than South Dakota, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Hughes County, South Dakota.
How healthy is Hughes County, South Dakota?
Hughes County, South Dakota has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Hughes County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Hughes County ranks 20th 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.
What is the average lifespan in Hughes County, South Dakota?
People in Hughes County, South Dakota can expect to live 79.9 years on average, about the same as the South Dakota average of 79.9.
What is the uninsured rate in Hughes County, South Dakota?
6.7% of residents in Hughes County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 15 people, 2.3 points below the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
How common is obesity in Hughes County, South Dakota?
35.1% of adults in Hughes County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, about the same as the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Hughes County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 23,166 cigarettes a day, 694,970 a month, or 8.5 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 254,822 minutes a day and 93.0 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Hughes County is 79.9 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.22 lifetimes a year.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →