Health Profile of Union County, South Dakota
Union 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
Union County Around averageHealthier than 72% of counties in South Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Union County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.1% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 10.5% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Union County is 80.7 years, about 0.7 years longer than the South Dakota average of 79.9 years. The uninsured rate is 5.1%, lower than the South Dakota average of 9.0%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 10.5% of residents, lower than the South Dakota average of 13.8%.
Population by Age
Older residents
6,206 residents in Union County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 377 110 men · 268 women
- 75–84 833 411 men · 423 women
- 65–74 1,686 844 men · 842 women
- 50–64 3,309 1,629 men · 1,680 women
Younger residents
3,981 residents in Union County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,322 704 boys · 618 girls
- 7–12 1,226 660 boys · 566 girls
- 3–7 847 447 boys · 400 girls
- 0–3 586 285 boys · 301 girls
About 706 residents in Union County (4.1% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 80.7 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Union County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 8.6% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.3% | 7.6% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 6.5% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 37.7% | 34.9% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in Union County is about 18% lower than in South Dakota. The rate of heart disease in Union County is about 17% lower than in South Dakota.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Union County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16.6% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 20.9% | 18.8% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 21.6% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Union County is about 17% lower than in South Dakota.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,535 cigarettes a day, 646,055 a month, or 7.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 236,887 minutes a day and 86.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.04 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 | Union County | South Dakota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 5.72 | 4.61 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 5.7 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Union County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Union County, SD Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, SD is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 17,081 residents against a local median of 21,354. Where Union County, SD breaks from the counties next to it is uninsured, sitting 37% below the local median of 8.1% at 5.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 5.1% on uninsured, so Union County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Union County, SD has the 2nd lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, SD | 17,081 | 80.7 yrs #2/6 | 5.1% #2/6 | 37.7% #4/6 |
| Clay County, SD | 15,219 | 78.9 yrs | 9.1% | 30.4% |
| Dixon County, NE | 5,545 | 80.6 yrs | 9.2% | 38.8% |
| Dakota County, NE | 21,354 | 78.3 yrs | 8.1% | 39.2% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 70,639 | 80.6 yrs | 4.1% | 33.2% |
| Plymouth County, IA | 25,747 | 80.8 yrs | 5.3% | 33.7% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Union 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 Union County, South Dakota.
What is the health grade for Union County, South Dakota?
Union 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 Union County, South Dakota one of the healthiest counties in South Dakota?
Union County ranks 18th 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 Union County, South Dakota?
People in Union County, South Dakota can expect to live 80.7 years on average, 0.7 years longer than the South Dakota average of 79.9.
How many people lack health insurance in Union County, South Dakota?
5.1% of residents in Union County, South Dakota have no health insurance, about 1 in 19 people, 3.9 points below the South Dakota rate of 9.0%.
What percentage of Union County, South Dakota residents are obese?
37.7% of adults in Union County, South Dakota are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 2.8 points above the South Dakota rate of 34.9%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Union County, South Dakota go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 21,535 cigarettes a day, 646,055 a month, or 7.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 236,887 minutes a day and 86.5 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Union County is 80.7 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 2.04 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 →