Anyone who thinks income level isn't a good indicator of the level of wellness in a community, would be wrong. Case in point, the recent County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.The statistics have been gathered from a wide range of sources including U.S. government surveys

Rankings are based on numerous elements that can influence the future health of a community including; length of life, quality of life, healthy behaviors, clinical care, social and economic circumstances and physical environment aspects.This includes things like high school graduation, smoking, obesity and teen birth rates as well as access to healthy foods.

An overall take-away from this report is that there is a strong connection between health and wealth. (Big surprise, huh?) But the size of a paycheck is not the only determining component. In a wealthy community where people are fairly isolated with very little social interaction, there have been reported higher rates of dire health outcomes with increased levels of stress and chronic disease.

Education is another indicator of overall health because a good one can offer knowledge of how to lead a healthy lifestyle and pave the way to a higher paying job which more than likely will offer health benefits. In turn people with higher incomes tend to live in safer neighborhoods with healthier food options.

Farmer's Market healthy foods
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With all of this in mind, here are the Top 5 Healthiest Counties in South Dakota:

You can check out the full report on South Dakota's County Health Rankings here.

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