Sioux Falls is often thought of as a major medical player in the Upper Midwest and beyond, thanks to our two major hometown healthcare systems - Avera and Sanford.

But now, South Dakota's largest city is on an elite list of places from around the country in a completely different industry.

24/7 Wall St., using data from the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities 2021, has Sioux Falls as one of the top 25 'Best Small Cities for High-Tech'.

Get our free mobile app

The city is 23rd overall, making a big leap from 56th just three years ago.

So what is 'high-tech' exactly?

The Workforce Information Council defines it as an industry that employs a high percentage of workers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations.

That could be any one of the 30 different categories as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including things like pharmaceuticals, engine and power transmission equipment, semiconductors, aerospace parts, telecommunications, data processing services, oil and gas extraction, and even forestry.

BEST SMALL CITIES FOR HIGH-TECH

  1. Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  2. Lawton, Oklahoma
  3. Springfield, Illinois
  4. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
  5. San Rafael, California
  6. Wenatchee, Washington
  7. Greenville, North Carolina
  8. Corvallis, Oregon
  9. Grants Pass, Oregon
  10. Lawrence, Kansas

Sioux Falls got a huge technology boost in 2020 when the city was the first in the nation to roll out 5G technology on a large scale.

CHECK IT OUT: How To Unlock Your iPhone With Your Voice

Inside Amazon: A Detailed History of America's Biggest Online Retailer

Stacker compiled a list of key moments in Amazon's history and its current business from a variety of sources. Here's a look at the events that turned an online bookstore into a global conglomerate and a self-made entrepreneur into the world's second-richest man.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

More From KIKN-FM / Kickin' Country 99.1/100.5