Retirement Communities in Minnehaha County, South Dakota

CaringScore for Minnehaha County, SD

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in Minnehaha was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose retirement communities in Minnehaha.

CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 7.1, Minnehaha rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for Minnehaha. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for Minnehaha County, SD

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Minnehaha, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for Minnehaha is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 8, Minnehaha rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking retirement communities. At 306.5 physicians per capita, Minnehaha scores 39.0 percent better than the national average. Minnehaha trails the national average in geriatricians per capita by 15.4 percent, with 1.1, and scores 44.1 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 28.1. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in Minnehaha is 79.7 years -- 2.3 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in Minnehaha -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 16.9 percent above average, and water quality -- another key measure of Minnehaha's environmental health -- trails the national average by 63.6 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	Minnehaha County, SD	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	306.5	220.5
Geriatricians	1.1	1.3
Cardiologists	7.6	7.7
Oncologists	5.9	3.5
Orthopedists	13.5	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for Minnehaha County, SD

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Minnehaha, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for retirement communities. The CostScore for Minnehaha is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, cost of living indices such as housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 5.9, the costs associated with retirement communities in Minnehaha are generally less expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for Minnehaha. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of retirement communities in Minnehaha to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for Minnehaha indexes at 6.0 percent lower than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 4.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 20.0 percent less expensive than average.

Cost of Living	Minnehaha County, SD
Aggregate Index	94
Healthcare Index	104
Housing Index	80
Food Index	95
Utilities Index	102
Transportation Index	91

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for Minnehaha County, SD

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in Minnehaha. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for Minnehaha is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 7.3, Minnehaha rates above average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 208 days each year in Minnehaha, which is about average in the U.S. With an average temperature of 4°F in January, winters tend to be colder in Minnehaha than in other parts of the country, and summers often mirror nationwide seasonal trends, averaging 86°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in Minnehaha is 50.0 percent lower than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent lower than average. At $52,458 per year, the population of Minnehaha earns a median household income on par with the national average. Minnehaha has an unemployment rate of 5.60 percent, roughly 38.5 percent lower than the national average. And about 12.52 percent of the population in Minnehaha is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which matches the national average.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	Minnehaha	Nat'l Avg
Parks	2.2	136.1
Libraries	8.3	18.8
Places of Worship	108.6	220.5
Public Transit	75	110.4
Grocery Stores	76.8	97.7
Pharmacies	12.7	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65