It's a place none of us ever wants to visit, but if we do end up there, we want our stay to be as brief as possible.

The Emergency Room at the hospital.

It might surprise you to learn that, according to a new study by Compare the Market, the United States has the lowest number of hospitals, per capita, in the world - just 1.84 per 100,000 citizens, according to data from  World Population ReviewWorld Health OrganizationInternational Trade Administration, and Data Commons

That shortage of hospital options often contributes to long emergency room wait times.

But not in South Dakota.

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The numbers show that the Mount Rushmore State has the second-lowest ER wait times in the nation, with an average wait time of just under two hours (113 minutes). Only North Dakota's 104-minute wait time is shorter.

SHORTEST ER WAIT TIMES IN AMERICA (in minutes)

  • North Dakota - 104
  • South Dakota - 113
  • Nebraska 114
  • Oklahoma 115
  • Hawaii 117
  • Kansas 117
  • Iowa 123
  • Mississippi 124
  • Arkansas 127
  • Montana 127
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