South Dakota has worst rural poverty in Great Plains; high levels on Indian reservations a factor

A report by the Center for Rural Affairs lists South Dakota as having the highest rate of rural poverty in the 10-state Great Plains region. According to 2010 census data used in the report, 20.6 percent of rural South Dakotans live in poverty. That’s 44,973 of the state’s 218,821 rural residents, reports Marcus Traxler in The Daily Republic. Montana was the next closest state with a rural poverty rate of 17.8 percent.

More than a fourth of South Dakota's  rural children live in poverty. Its rural childhood poverty rate is twice that of the state’s large urban areas, writes Traxler. “There are hundreds of studies out there that show that poverty and food insecurity issues have long-term effects on children and their mental and physical development,” said Jon Bailey, the director for rural research and analysis for the Center for Rural Affairs. “We have a large segment of the population that we are dooming to a life of reduced development, both mentally and physically.”

The report was compiled by Bailey and South Dakota State University graduate Kim Preston, both of whom lead rural research and analysis for the CFRA, a private, nonprofit organization based in Lyons, Neb., examining socioeconomic issues in rural America. Bailey said a high level of poverty on South Dakota’s Indian reservations is a contributing factor to South Dakota’s ranking.