South Dakota Colleges & Universities: Career Education

Located in America's upper Midwest, South Dakota is home to over 775,000 people. Mount Rushmore, one of America's most famous landmarks, occupies the state's Black Hills, while the Missouri River divides South Dakota into east and west.

Sioux Falls, a city of about 150,000 and South Dakota's largest, is an economic center for finance, healthcare, retail services, and educational enterprise. Although the past decade has seen growth in a variety of the State's industries, agricultural products remain the leading commodity. Major output includes beef, wheat, and corn, as well as agriculture-related industries such as ethanol production and meat-packing.

Tourism is also extremely important to the state of South Dakota, with thousands attracted to the state's natural and historic areas. One of the largest and most well-known gatherings of motorcycle enthusiasts in the world, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, draws almost half a million bikers to South Dakota every year. Another notable attraction is Badlands National Park, home to a surreal landscape of grasslands carved by centuries of flowing water.

Many students find that living in South Dakota can be extremely cost-effective. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that South Dakota has the lowest tax rate per capita of any state in the country. Many businesses are attracted to South Dakota, as the state does not levy personal or corporate income taxes.

Sources:

• South Dakota Tourism
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics
• US Census: South Dakota