State of South Dakota's Child: 2025

In 2024, there was an increase from the previous year in the number of births in South Dakota with 11,434 new babies joining the state's population. Among this birth cohort, 71% were White, 12% American Indian, 9% Hispanic, 3% Black, and 5% other races. Over recent years, a declining percent of this annual cohort is White or American Indian with other racial groups increasingly contributing to the births in the state. South Dakota's 2023 birth and fertility rates were the highest of the nation. These state rates also showed that compared to all other races, Whites also had the lowest rates of fertility in South Dakota. The state's infant mortality rate (IMR) is increased in 2024 (7.35) from the previous year (5.36) with increases in both the neonatal and post neonatal rates that occurred in only the White/Hispanic population. Five-year (2020-24) data, however, show that 71% of births are White yet they contribute to 51% of infant deaths; dissimilar to American Indians who comprise 13% of births yet contribute to 30% of all infant deaths. Almost a quarter (23%) of all infant deaths in the state are caused by sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) with a rate that is statistically significantly higher (p<.01) than what is observed nationally. Further, data show that the state's rate of SUID is not decreasing and there also has been an increasing percent of these deaths having potentially preventable risks associated with them. Overall, the state's 2020-24 total IMR (7.03) and post neonatal mortality rate (2.03) were significantly higher (p<.01) than the 2023 rates (5.6; 1.96) for the nation.