The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises the majority of cases in the U.S.
The United States as of Oct. 28 reached over 1 million COVID-19-related deaths and 97.4 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 68.4% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 7.3% of people have received the most recent bivalent booster dose.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties with highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in South Dakota using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the highest vaccination rate as of Oct. 27, 2022. Due to inconsistencies in reporting, some counties do not have vaccination data available. Case count data based on Oct. 13 numbers reported by the Department of Health and Human Services. Keep reading to see whether your county ranks among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in your state.
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#50. Beadle County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.0% (9,592 fully vaccinated)
--- 28.0% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 341 (63 total deaths)
--- 1.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,277 (5,218 total cases)
--- 5.3% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
2 / 50
#49. Moody County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.2% (3,432 fully vaccinated)
--- 27.7% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 441 (29 total deaths)
--- 27.5% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,970 (1,642 total cases)
--- 16.4% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
3 / 50
#48. Grant County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.4% (3,693 fully vaccinated)
--- 27.4% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 723 (51 total deaths)
--- 109.0% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,062 (2,261 total cases)
--- 7.4% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
4 / 50
#47. Custer County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.5% (4,709 fully vaccinated)
--- 27.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 312 (28 total deaths)
--- 9.8% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,672 (2,393 total cases)
--- 10.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
5 / 50
#46. Clark County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.6% (1,965 fully vaccinated)
--- 27.1% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 294 (11 total deaths)
--- 15.0% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 24,010 (897 total cases)
--- 19.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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6 / 50
#45. Gregory County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.7% (2,207 fully vaccinated)
--- 27.0% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 812 (34 total deaths)
--- 134.7% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,622 (1,156 total cases)
--- 7.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
7 / 50
#44. Lake County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 52.8% (6,760 fully vaccinated)
--- 26.9% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 219 (28 total deaths)
--- 36.7% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 19,676 (2,518 total cases)
--- 34.1% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
8 / 50
#43. Jerauld County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 53.6% (1,079 fully vaccinated)
--- 25.8% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 994 (20 total deaths)
--- 187.3% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,553 (454 total cases)
--- 24.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#42. Brookings County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.0% (18,956 fully vaccinated)
--- 25.2% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 171 (60 total deaths)
--- 50.6% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,644 (8,995 total cases)
--- 14.1% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#41. Spink County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.1% (3,448 fully vaccinated)
--- 25.1% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 565 (36 total deaths)
--- 63.3% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,110 (1,601 total cases)
--- 15.9% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#40. Marshall County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 54.6% (2,695 fully vaccinated)
--- 24.4% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 304 (15 total deaths)
--- 12.1% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 17,953 (886 total cases)
--- 39.9% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#39. Union County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.0% (8,764 fully vaccinated)
--- 23.8% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 333 (53 total deaths)
--- 3.8% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,481 (4,219 total cases)
--- 11.3% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#38. Hutchinson County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.5% (4,047 fully vaccinated)
--- 23.1% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 535 (39 total deaths)
--- 54.6% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,142 (1,906 total cases)
--- 12.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#37. Turner County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.6% (4,663 fully vaccinated)
--- 23.0% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 751 (63 total deaths)
--- 117.1% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,310 (2,122 total cases)
--- 15.2% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#36. Douglas County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 55.8% (1,631 fully vaccinated)
--- 22.7% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 548 (16 total deaths)
--- 58.4% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,361 (770 total cases)
--- 11.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#35. Miner County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 56.1% (1,243 fully vaccinated)
--- 22.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 677 (15 total deaths)
--- 95.7% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,789 (505 total cases)
--- 23.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#34. Hyde County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 56.5% (735 fully vaccinated)
--- 21.7% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 615 (8 total deaths)
--- 77.7% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,749 (335 total cases)
--- 13.8% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#33. Meade County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 56.7% (16,054 fully vaccinated)
--- 21.5% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 240 (68 total deaths)
--- 30.6% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,403 (8,047 total cases)
--- 4.9% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#32. Faulk County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 56.8% (1,305 fully vaccinated)
--- 21.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 739 (17 total deaths)
--- 113.6% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,577 (634 total cases)
--- 7.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#31. Aurora County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 57.2% (1,573 fully vaccinated)
--- 20.8% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 618 (17 total deaths)
--- 78.6% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 31,552 (868 total cases)
--- 5.7% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#30. Sanborn County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 57.5% (1,347 fully vaccinated)
--- 20.4% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 341 (8 total deaths)
--- 1.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,133 (636 total cases)
--- 9.1% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#29. Jackson County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 57.8% (1,933 fully vaccinated)
--- 19.9% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 628 (21 total deaths)
--- 81.5% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 21,352 (714 total cases)
--- 28.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#28. Codington County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 57.8% (16,179 fully vaccinated)
--- 19.9% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 371 (104 total deaths)
--- 7.2% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 34,714 (9,723 total cases)
--- 16.2% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#27. Corson County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 59.7% (2,440 fully vaccinated)
--- 17.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 441 (18 total deaths)
--- 27.5% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,218 (1,153 total cases)
--- 5.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#26. Brown County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 59.7% (23,188 fully vaccinated)
--- 17.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 324 (126 total deaths)
--- 6.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,396 (11,417 total cases)
--- 1.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#25. McCook County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 59.8% (3,342 fully vaccinated)
--- 17.2% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 573 (32 total deaths)
--- 65.6% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,101 (1,458 total cases)
--- 12.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#24. Bon Homme County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 60.2% (4,152 fully vaccinated)
--- 16.6% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 594 (41 total deaths)
--- 71.7% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 34,995 (2,415 total cases)
--- 17.2% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#23. Brule County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 60.8% (3,218 fully vaccinated)
--- 15.8% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 510 (27 total deaths)
--- 47.4% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 30,432 (1,612 total cases)
--- 1.9% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#22. Lawrence County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 61.2% (15,815 fully vaccinated)
--- 15.2% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 341 (88 total deaths)
--- 1.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,924 (7,475 total cases)
--- 3.1% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#21. Pennington County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 61.9% (70,425 fully vaccinated)
--- 14.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 321 (365 total deaths)
--- 7.2% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,683 (37,185 total cases)
--- 9.4% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#20. Potter County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 62.0% (1,335 fully vaccinated)
--- 14.1% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 418 (9 total deaths)
--- 20.8% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 35,114 (756 total cases)
--- 17.6% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#19. Stanley County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 62.1% (1,925 fully vaccinated)
--- 14.0% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 258 (8 total deaths)
--- 25.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 22,531 (698 total cases)
--- 24.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#18. Charles Mix County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 62.1% (5,768 fully vaccinated)
--- 14.0% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 398 (37 total deaths)
--- 15.0% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 35,988 (3,344 total cases)
--- 20.5% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#17. Lincoln County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 63.3% (38,678 fully vaccinated)
--- 12.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 175 (107 total deaths)
--- 49.4% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,352 (16,720 total cases)
--- 8.4% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#16. Fall River County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 64.0% (4,299 fully vaccinated)
--- 11.4% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 626 (42 total deaths)
--- 80.9% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 33,800 (2,269 total cases)
--- 13.2% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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36 / 50
#15. Buffalo County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 64.2% (1,260 fully vaccinated)
--- 11.1% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 917 (18 total deaths)
--- 165.0% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 33,486 (657 total cases)
--- 12.1% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#14. Bennett County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 65.9% (2,219 fully vaccinated)
--- 8.7% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 446 (15 total deaths)
--- 28.9% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,092 (878 total cases)
--- 12.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#13. Davison County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 66.0% (13,045 fully vaccinated)
--- 8.6% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 425 (84 total deaths)
--- 22.8% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 33,411 (6,607 total cases)
--- 11.9% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#12. Yankton County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 68.0% (15,518 fully vaccinated)
--- 5.8% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 263 (60 total deaths)
--- 24.0% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 28,759 (6,561 total cases)
--- 3.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
40 / 50
#11. Lyman County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 69.1% (2,611 fully vaccinated)
--- 4.3% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 344 (13 total deaths)
--- 0.6% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 35,414 (1,339 total cases)
--- 18.6% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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41 / 50
#10. Day County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 69.7% (3,781 fully vaccinated)
--- 3.5% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 701 (38 total deaths)
--- 102.6% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,793 (1,399 total cases)
--- 13.6% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
42 / 50
#9. Kingsbury County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 71.1% (3,513 fully vaccinated)
--- 1.5% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 486 (24 total deaths)
--- 40.5% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 29,743 (1,469 total cases)
--- 0.4% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
43 / 50
#8. Minnehaha County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 71.1% (137,343 fully vaccinated)
--- 1.5% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 278 (537 total deaths)
--- 19.7% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,165 (62,121 total cases)
--- 7.7% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
44 / 50
#7. Clay County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 71.2% (10,021 fully vaccinated)
--- 1.4% lower vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 178 (25 total deaths)
--- 48.6% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 26,681 (3,754 total cases)
--- 10.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
45 / 50
#6. Hughes County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 75.5% (13,231 fully vaccinated)
--- 4.6% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 354 (62 total deaths)
--- 2.3% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 27,570 (4,832 total cases)
--- 7.7% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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46 / 50
#5. Todd County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 77.8% (7,913 fully vaccinated)
--- 7.8% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 511 (52 total deaths)
--- 47.7% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 34,774 (3,539 total cases)
--- 16.4% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
47 / 50
#4. Jones County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 79.7% (720 fully vaccinated)
--- 10.4% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 221 (2 total deaths)
--- 36.1% less deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 20,930 (189 total cases)
--- 29.9% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#3. Roberts County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 80.1% (8,324 fully vaccinated)
--- 10.9% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 539 (56 total deaths)
--- 55.8% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 25,823 (2,684 total cases)
--- 13.5% less cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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#2. Dewey County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 82.2% (4,843 fully vaccinated)
--- 13.9% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 747 (44 total deaths)
--- 115.9% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 56,178 (3,310 total cases)
--- 88.1% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
50 / 50
#1. Oglala Lakota County
- Population that is fully vaccinated: 87.5% (12,404 fully vaccinated)
--- 21.2% higher vaccination rate than South Dakota
- Cumulative deaths per 100k: 430 (61 total deaths)
--- 24.3% more deaths per 100k residents than South Dakota
- Cumulative cases per 100k: 32,884 (4,662 total cases)
--- 10.1% more cases per 100k residents than South Dakota
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