Health Profile of Pennington County, South Dakota
Pennington 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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B
Pennington County Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Pennington County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 10.2% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 12.4% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Pennington County is 79.3 years, about 0.6 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 10.2%, higher than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 12.4% of residents, lower than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
42,013 residents in Pennington County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 2,427 809 men · 1,618 women
- 75–84 5,547 2,577 men · 2,971 women
- 65–74 11,747 5,802 men · 5,946 women
- 50–64 22,291 10,910 men · 11,381 women
Younger residents
24,641 residents in Pennington County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 7,513 3,795 boys · 3,717 girls
- 7–12 7,240 3,708 boys · 3,532 girls
- 3–7 5,672 2,956 boys · 2,716 girls
- 0–3 4,217 2,158 boys · 2,058 girls
About 5,087 residents in Pennington County (4.5% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 79.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Pennington County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.1% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.6% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.5% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 33.2% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Pennington County is about 16% lower than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Pennington County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.0% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 22.6% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in Pennington County are about the same as in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 169,568 cigarettes a day, 5.1 million a month, or 61.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.9 million minutes a day and 680.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Pennington County is 79.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 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 | Pennington County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 4.35 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 4.3 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Pennington County is very good — well within WHO health guidelines, with minimal health risk from air pollution.
Pennington County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Pennington County, SD is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 113,512 residents against a local median of 18,062. Pennington 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 obesity, 7% above the local median at 33.2% against 31.2%. Pennington County, SD has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD | 113,512 | 79.3 yrs #3/5 | 10.2% #3/5 | 33.2% #3/5 |
| Meade County, SD | 30,546 | 81.0 yrs | 9.4% | 28.0% |
| Custer County, SD | 8,892 | 80.2 yrs | 10.8% | 34.3% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 27,233 | 79.0 yrs | 8.9% | 27.7% |
| Fall River County, SD | 7,258 | 76.8 yrs | 13.2% | 35.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Pennington 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 Pennington County, South Dakota.
Is Pennington County, South Dakota a healthy place to live?
Pennington 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 Pennington County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Pennington County ranks 37th 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 Pennington County, South Dakota?
People in Pennington County, South Dakota can expect to live 79.3 years on average, 0.6 years shorter than the South Dakota average of 79.9.
What percentage of Pennington County, South Dakota residents are uninsured?
10.2% of residents in Pennington County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 10 people, 1.2 points above the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
How common is obesity in Pennington County, South Dakota?
33.2% of adults in Pennington County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.7 points below the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Pennington County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 169,568 cigarettes a day, 5.1 million a month, or 61.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 1.9 million minutes a day and 680.8 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Pennington County is 79.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.04 lifetimes a day, or 16 lifetimes a year.
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