HRSA Counties Indexed
66
with HPSA / MUA coverage
Medically underserved areas & HPSA profile
Medically Underserved Areas in South Dakota
74 Medically Underserved Areas and 249 active HRSA Health Professional Shortage Area designations across South Dakota.
- MUAs
- 74
- Total HPSAs
- 249
- Primary care
- 97
- Mental health
- 63
- Dental
- 89
Highest-density verdict
Current HRSA Data Warehouse records put South Dakota in the highest-density quarter of states and territories. It carries 249 active shortage designations across 66 counties; Dewey County has the largest county count at 15. About 68.8% of residents live in a geographic shortage county.
- 249
- Active HPSA designations
- 97
- Primary-care shortages
- 74
- Medically underserved areas
- 68.8%
- Residents in a shortage county
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for South Dakota on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
-
Dewey County holds 6% of South Dakota's 249 active designations (15 of 249).
66 of 66 counties in this profile carry at least one active record; the remainder are zero-active on this release.
-
39% of South Dakota's active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from state aggregates: 97 primary care, 63 mental health, 89 dental (denominator 249).
-
Closing South Dakota's active designations would take about 115 additional clinician FTEs, led by primary care.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id across the state: 48 primary care, 35 mental health, 31 dental. Federal gap estimate, not a practising-clinician headcount.
Corpus placement
Where South Dakota sits among all 56 states and territories
South Dakota carries 249 active HPSA designations for a population of 886,667, which is 28.1 per 100,000 residents, ranking it 3 of 56 and above 95% of states and territories, against a median of 7.3.
59 of those are county-wide geographic designations; the remainder are facility-, population- or clinic-based, which is why the county map and the designation count answer different questions.
Designation density tracks rural geography as much as unmet need: AK records 134.7 designations per 100,000 residents and NJ 1.5, because a sparsely-settled state accumulates more separate designations to cover the same population. Designations also overlap, so this counts designations, not people. Counted as distinct HRSA designation IDs, the same unit as the totals above. Computed from the designation records and county populations behind this page; states without county population data are given no placement rather than an estimated one.
Snapshot comparison
Change since the previous HRSA snapshot
Between Jun 2, 2026 and Jul 25, 2026, the number of active stable HPSA IDs recorded for South Dakota changed from 245 to 249 (+4).
- IDs added
- 7
- IDs absent now
- 0
- Newly designated
- 0
- No longer designated
- 3
Among IDs present in both snapshots, scores rose for 0 and fell for 0; recorded providers needed rose for 0 and fell for 0. These are changes in published designation records, not evidence of cause, care quality, or patient outcomes. See the national comparison and limitations.
Medically Underserved Areas
74
Residents in Geographic Shortage Areas
609,937
% Residents in Geographic Shortage
68.8%
Discipline Mix
97 / 63 / 89 PC/MH/D
Primary care · Mental health · Dental
% Residents in Geographic Shortage-Designated Counties 68.8%
South Dakota Shortage Designations by Care Type
How South Dakota's 249 active HRSA designations split across the three provider categories. According to KFF's May 2026 tracker, South Dakota has adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. That policy context does not measure provider supply, appointment availability, or care quality.
South Dakota HPSA designations by type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations, by provider category.
- Primary care
Primary care
97 designations
- Dental
Dental
89 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
63 designations
South Dakota HPSA Counties by Care Type
County lists for the three HRSA shortage disciplines searchers ask for by name (dental, primary care, mental health). Counts are live designated-HPSA records in this release, not provider headcounts.
Dental HPSA counties in South Dakota
47 counties with at least one active dental designation ; led by Dewey (5). Full list (designation count in parentheses): Dewey (5) , Bon Homme (4) , Corson (4) , Minnehaha (4) , Oglala Lakota (4) , Ziebach (4) , Bennett (3) , Charles Mix (3) , Edmunds (3) , Pennington (3) , Roberts (3) , Buffalo (2) , Campbell (2) , Clark (2) , Day (2) , Faulk (2) , Hughes (2) , Hutchinson (2) , Jackson (2) , Lyman (2) ; plus 27 more in the table below.
Primary-care HPSA counties in South Dakota
53 counties with at least one active primary-care designation ; led by Dewey (5). Full list: Dewey (5) , Bon Homme (4) , Corson (4) , Oglala Lakota (4) , Pennington (4) , Ziebach (4) , Bennett (3) , Charles Mix (3) , Edmunds (3) , Hughes (3) , Minnehaha (3) , Roberts (3) , Buffalo (2) , Campbell (2) , Clark (2) , Day (2) , Deuel (2) , Faulk (2) , Hutchinson (2) , Jackson (2) ; plus 33 more in the table below.
Mental-health HPSA counties in South Dakota
66 counties with at least one active mental-health designation ; led by Dewey (5). Full list: Dewey (5) , Bon Homme (4) , Corson (4) , Minnehaha (4) , Oglala Lakota (4) , Pennington (4) , Ziebach (4) , Bennett (3) , Charles Mix (3) , Edmunds (3) , Hughes (3) , Hutchinson (3) , Roberts (3) , Yankton (3) , Buffalo (2) , Campbell (2) , Clark (2) , Day (2) , Deuel (2) , Faulk (2) ; plus 46 more in the table below.
All counties in South Dakota, by total shortage volume
The 40 counties with the most active HPSA designations, of 66 in South Dakota. Columns split primary care, mental health, and dental. On a narrow screen, this list keeps each county’s total and MUA status visible; the care-type split is available on wider screens.
| # | County | Designations | MUA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dewey | 15 | MUA |
| 2 | Bon Homme | 12 | MUA |
| 3 | Corson | 12 | MUA |
| 4 | Oglala Lakota | 12 | MUA |
| 5 | Ziebach | 12 | MUA |
| 6 | Minnehaha | 11 | MUA |
| 7 | Pennington | 11 | MUA |
| 8 | Bennett | 9 | MUA |
| 9 | Charles Mix | 9 | MUA |
| 10 | Edmunds | 9 | MUA |
| 11 | Roberts | 9 | MUA |
| 12 | Hughes | 8 | - |
| 13 | Hutchinson | 7 | MUA |
| 14 | Buffalo | 6 | MUA |
| 15 | Campbell | 6 | MUA |
| 16 | Clark | 6 | MUA |
| 17 | Day | 6 | MUA |
| 18 | Faulk | 6 | MUA |
| 19 | Jackson | 6 | MUA |
| 20 | Lyman | 6 | MUA |
| 21 | McPherson | 6 | MUA |
| 22 | Todd | 6 | MUA |
| 23 | Tripp | 6 | MUA |
| 24 | Walworth | 6 | MUA |
| 25 | Deuel | 5 | MUA |
| 26 | Miner | 5 | MUA |
| 27 | Moody | 5 | MUA |
| 28 | Stanley | 5 | MUA |
| 29 | Yankton | 5 | MUA |
| 30 | Lincoln | 4 | MUA |
| 31 | Beadle | 3 | MUA |
| 32 | Brookings | 3 | MUA |
| 33 | Brown | 3 | MUA |
| 34 | Brule | 3 | MUA |
| 35 | Davison | 3 | MUA |
| 36 | Fall River | 3 | MUA |
| 37 | Haakon | 3 | MUA |
| 38 | Harding | 3 | MUA |
| 39 | Hyde | 3 | MUA |
| 40 | Jones | 3 | MUA |
Medically Underserved Areas in South Dakota
Showing 30 of 74 MUA designations (lowest MUA Index first, i.e. most underserved).
| Name | MUA Index |
|---|---|
| Faith City - County | 0.0 |
| Hot Springs City - County | 0.0 |
| Kimball City - County | 0.0 |
| Todd Service Area | 23.9 |
| Mellette Service Area | 26.8 |
| Jackson County | 28.9 |
| Corson Service Area | 29.9 |
| Mcpherson Service Area | 34.3 |
| Aurora Service Area | 38.6 |
| Douglas Service Area | 40.3 |
| Bennett Service Area | 40.7 |
| Mccook Service Area | 41.5 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 43.0 |
| Dewey Service Area | 44.0 |
| Sanborn Service Area | 44.4 |
| Elkton City - County | 44.5 |
| Custer Service Area | 45.0 |
| Roberts Service Area | 45.2 |
| Miner Service Area | 45.4 |
| Jones Service Area | 45.4 |
| Revillo Service Area | 46.3 |
| Ziebach Service Area | 46.5 |
| Buffalo Service Area | 46.6 |
| New Underwood Service Area | 47.4 |
| Edgemont Service Area | 48.7 |
| Bellefourche-cheyennevunorg Service Area | 48.8 |
| Irene Service Area | 48.8 |
| Minnehaha Service Area | 49.1 |
| Hyde Service Area | 49.3 |
| Kingsbury Service Area | 49.7 |
High-density reading for South Dakota
At 249 active designations (97 primary care / 63 mental health / 89 dental), South Dakota sits in the top quarter of the state and territory corpus by designations per resident. That volume is where NHSC placements, FQHC operating geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the state boundary alone.
Dewey County leads the in-state table with 15 active records; open that county profile before treating the state total as evenly spread. About 68.8% of residents live in a geographic shortage county; facility and population-group designations cover additional residents counted separately.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more South Dakota shortage data
Dig deeper into the federal shortage designations behind South Dakota's numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in South Dakota? ▼
South Dakota has 74 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). About 609,937 residents (68.8% of the state) live in a county with a geographic HRSA shortage designation. MUA-designated areas qualify for enhanced federal funding and Community Health Center grants.
Which counties in South Dakota have dental HPSA designations? ▼
47 South Dakota counties carry at least one active dental Health Professional Shortage Area in the current HRSA release: Dewey (5), Bon Homme (4), Corson (4), Minnehaha (4), Oglala Lakota (4), Ziebach (4), Bennett (3), Charles Mix (3), Edmunds (3), Pennington (3), Roberts (3), Buffalo (2), Campbell (2), Clark (2), Day (2), Faulk (2), Hughes (2), Hutchinson (2), Jackson (2), Lyman (2); plus 27 more on the table below. Counts are designated dental HPSA records per county, not a dentist headcount.
Are there doctor shortages in South Dakota? ▼
Yes. South Dakota has 249 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), including 97 in primary care, 63 in mental health, and 89 in dental care. About 68.8% of South Dakota residents live in a county that HRSA has designated as a geographic (whole-community) shortage area; additional residents are covered by population-group and facility designations counted separately.
What are HPSAs? ▼
Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are federal designations by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) identifying communities with insufficient healthcare providers. HPSAs are categorized into three types: primary care, mental health, and dental. In South Dakota, there are 249 designated HPSAs and 74 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs).
What federal programs address healthcare shortages in South Dakota? ▼
HRSA shortage designations in South Dakota unlock eligibility for over 30 federal programs, including National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment and scholarships, Community Health Center (FQHC) funding, Medicare bonus payments (10% for physicians in HPSAs), J-1 visa waiver programs for international medical graduates, and Rural Health Clinic certification. These programs direct billions of dollars annually toward underserved communities.
How does South Dakota compare to other states in HRSA shortage designations? ▼
South Dakota has 249 total HPSA designations and 74 Medically Underserved Areas. With 68.8% of residents in counties carrying a geographic shortage designation, you can compare the recorded HRSA designations and scores with other states on our national rankings pages for primary care, mental health, and dental care.
How often is South Dakota HPSA data updated? ▼
HRSA publishes HPSA designation changes through the Data Warehouse on a rolling basis. This page reports the portal's stated HRSA source vintage after a verified refresh; use HRSA's official tools when a current designation status matters.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse Not affiliated with HRSA
Choose the next comparison
Use South Dakota's designation totals as a starting point, then move to the comparison that answers the next decision without treating a shortage designation as a personal care outcome.
- Compare South Dakota's primary-care shortage record with every other state before drawing conclusions from a raw total; population and geography affect designation counts. Compare states
- Dewey County has the most active HPSA designations in this state profile. Open its county record to inspect the local primary-care, mental-health, and dental breakdown. Open county profile
- Use the national statistics reference for the source vintage, aggregate context, and methodology behind these state-level figures. Read national context
HRSA designations describe structural provider-shortage criteria and federal-program eligibility. They do not measure appointment availability, insurance coverage, care quality, or an individual patient’s access to care.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every county-level HPSA and MUA designation on record for South Dakota (SD) and ranks the state's per-capita designation density among all states and territories. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026.