State mortality · CDC NCHS 2017
South Dakota - Mortality Statistics
6,071 deaths in 2017 across 10 tracked causes, at a state average age-adjusted rate of 55.5 per 100,000.
Data updated 2017-12-31
- 6,071
- Deaths, 2017
- Cancer
- Leading cause
- −0%
- vs national avg
- 55.5
- Avg age-adj /100K
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Side-by-side state comparisons and cause lookups use the same CDC NCHS figures shown on this page. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Thin death-count book
What this means: 6,071 tracked deaths in 2017 put South Dakota in the lightest third of state volumes. Small absolute counts make year-to-year swings noisier; pair the rate with the multi-year chart below.
Thin-volume third (6,071 deaths in 2017). Rate comparisons matter more than raw counts; see /methodology#corpus-placement.
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS), 2017. Age-adjusted rates allow fair comparison across states.
FIPS 46 · CDC WONDER 2017
South Dakota at a glance
2017: 6,071 deaths across 10 tracked causes at 55.5/100K mean age-adjusted · corpus #20/51 · 0% below US avg. Nearest rate peer: Idaho (-0.1/100K).
South Dakota in the thin-volume third
South Dakota recorded 6,071 total deaths in 2017 across 10 CDC WONDER cause-of-death categories. The single largest contributor was Cancer (1,715 deaths, 156.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted) -- nationally, that puts the state at #22 of 51 states for this cause, where a higher rank corresponds to a higher rate. Together, the top five causes made up 80.9% of all deaths recorded (4,911). Raw death volume sits in the lightest third; read rates alongside counts before comparing to large states.
Landing below the national figure puts the state in reasonably good aggregate standing, though it's still worth checking the trend below to confirm the gap is holding rather than narrowing.
Mean-rate neighbourhood around South Dakota
5 Causes That Lead Mortality Here
The five leading causes account for 4,911 deaths (80.9% of all deaths) in South Dakota.
Every Cause of Death Tracked in South Dakota, 2017
| # | Cause of death | Deaths | % of total | Age-adj /100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cancer | 1,715 | 28.2% | 156.9 |
| 2 | Heart disease | 1,710 | 28.2% | 150.1 |
| 3 | Unintentional injuries | 537 | 8.8% | 56.1 |
| 4 | CLRD | 505 | 8.3% | 45.3 |
| 5 | Alzheimer's disease | 444 | 7.3% | 36.9 |
| 6 | Stroke | 414 | 6.8% | 36.7 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 263 | 4.3% | 24.9 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 217 | 3.6% | 19.0 |
| 9 | Suicide | 191 | 3.1% | 22.5 |
| 10 | Kidney disease | 75 | 1.2% | 6.8 |
Do the biggest causes also carry the highest rate in South Dakota?
10 causes of death in South Dakota plotted by total deaths against the age-adjusted rate per 100,000. Death count and age-adjusted rate move together across South Dakota's causes (r=1.00) -- the causes with the most deaths here also tend to carry the highest per-capita rate.
Causes of death in South Dakota by deaths and age-adjusted rate: Cancer, 1715 deaths, 156.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Heart disease, 1710 deaths, 150.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Unintentional injuries, 537 deaths, 56.1 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. CLRD, 505 deaths, 45.3 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Alzheimer's disease, 444 deaths, 36.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Stroke, 414 deaths, 36.7 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Diabetes, 263 deaths, 24.9 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Influenza and pneumonia, 217 deaths, 19 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Suicide, 191 deaths, 22.5 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate. Kidney disease, 75 deaths, 6.8 per 100,000 age-adjusted rate.
Mortality Trends Over Time
Show the full 19-year data table (deaths, rate, year-over-year change)
| Year | Total Deaths | Avg Age-Adj Rate | Deaths YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5,704 | 66.2 | - |
| 2000 | 5,762 | 66.1 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 5,573 | 63.6 | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 5,572 | 62.8 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 5,670 | 63.5 | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 5,469 | 60.1 | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 5,689 | 61.8 | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 5,548 | 58.9 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 5,439 | 56.7 | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 5,527 | 57.0 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 5,458 | 55.5 | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 5,552 | 55.8 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 5,673 | 55.8 | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 5,675 | 54.9 | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 5,516 | 52.6 | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 5,796 | 54.4 | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 5,873 | 54.0 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 5,924 | 54.3 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 6,071 | 55.5 | +2.5% |
Nearby States & Comparisons
Compare mortality data with states bordering South Dakota (2017).
States with similar CDC WONDER rates
Two non-border peer sets for South Dakota in 2017. Volume is thin, so peers are nearest on rates rather than counts. Border neighbors stay above.
States near this mean leading-cause rate
Nearest jurisdictions by mean age-adjusted rate across leading causes (55.5/100K here), excluding bordering states.
Closest match: suicide rate (X60-X84)
Nearest jurisdictions by suicide age-adjusted rate, excluding the mean-rate peer set and bordering states.
Data source & methodology
Rates are per 100,000 population. Age-adjusted rates use the year 2000 US standard population. Data covers 1999-2017. Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death (CDC NCHS / NVSS).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
According to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics, PlainHealthData's mortality figures are rendered directly from 9,690 official state-year-cause records (NCHS Leading Causes of Death for calendar years 1999-2017). June 2026 is when this portal last verified that frozen CDC file is intact; it is not a newer claims year. No figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our data changelog, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of 2017.