County health data
Buffalo County, SD
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 17.5% of adults in Buffalo County (South Dakota: 11.8%). This county has 6 HRSA shortage designations and 1 health center site.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Buffalo County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
33 measures for adults in Buffalo County (about 1,197 adults). 24 have a South Dakota figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the South Dakota figure: current smoking 31.7% vs 15.2% (+16.5 points), fair or poor health 31.4% vs 18.0% (+13.4 points), and obesity 48.5% vs 36.0% (+12.5 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Buffalo County | South Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 25.8% | 26.2% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 35.6% | 35.2% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 5.6% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 14.0% | 9.7% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.0% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 9.9% | 6.4% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 22.6% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 17.5% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 30.5% | 35.5% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 48.5% | 36.0% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.9% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 23.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Buffalo County | South Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 14.6% | 10.2% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 71.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 73.1% | 78.2% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 75.7% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 50.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 42.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 68.2% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Buffalo County | South Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 17.0% | 19.8% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 31.7% | 15.2% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 36.4% | 25.7% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 38.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Buffalo County | South Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 31.4% | 18.0% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 23.1% | 14.3% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 18.9% | 10.2% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Buffalo County | South Dakota | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 23.3% | 14.3% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 44.8% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 10.9% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 14.9% | 8.6% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 19.9% | 13.1% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 6.5% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 11.0% | 3.6% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA lists 6 designated shortage rows in Buffalo County: primary care 2 (highest score 17), mental health 2 (highest score 19), and dental 2 (highest score 20). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 3 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| mental health | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| dental | 1 | 1 | 20 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Area Counseling Services MHCA | mental health | Geographic HPSA | 19 |
| LI- Jerauld/Sanborn/Buffalo Counties | primary care | HPSA Population | 17 |
| LI - Buffalo County | dental | HPSA Population | 13 |
Facility designations (3)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT. THOMPSON HEALTH CENTER | dental | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 20 |
| FT. THOMPSON HEALTH CENTER | primary care | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
| FT. THOMPSON HEALTH CENTER | mental health | Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Indian Health Organizations | 17 |
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
1 active health center site in Buffalo County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Health - Fort Thompson | HORIZON HEALTH CARE, INC | State Highway 249 | Fort Thompson 57339 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
South Dakota rural health plan
South Dakota Rural Health Transformation Plan
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 62):
- Connecting Technology & Data
- Advancing the Rural Workforce
- Keeping Healthcare Local and Strong
- Transforming Systems for Sustainability
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
For health centers, health departments, and nonprofits
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Buffalo County, SD
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical access hospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page