The Pierre, SD metro area is a great place for people to live and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. The area provides access to several local hospitals and medical facilities, such as Avera St Mary's Hospital and the Sanford Pierre Medical Center. These institutions provide excellent services such as emergency care, preventative care, cancer treatments, mental health services, and more. Furthermore, the Pierre area offers many outdoor activities such as biking trails along the Missouri River or fishing at Lake Oahe; both of which help promote physical fitness. Additionally, there are many farmers markets in the greater Pierre area that promote eating fresh food. All these amenities work together to make the Pierre metro area an ideal place for living a healthy lifestyle with easy access to quality healthcare.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 128 physicians per 100,000 population in Pierre Metro Area. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Pierre Metro Area area is 96.8 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
96.8 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Pierre Metro Area area is 26 (100=best). The US average is 55.
26 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Pierre Metro Area area is 90 (100=best). The US average is 87.
90 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Pierre Metro Area commutes 11.8 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Pierre Metro Area area is 87 (100=best). The US average is 58.
87 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.