Special Report

These Are the Counties in the Rapid City, SD Metro Area with the Most Deaths from COVID-19

Samuel Stebbins

Published: September 19, 2021 3:00 am

The ongoing spread of the delta variant is claiming lives and threatening a return to normalcy in the United States. So far, 659,336 Americans have died from the virus — more than the total number of Americans killed in World War I and World War II combined.

In the Rapid City metropolitan area, located in South Dakota, a total of 268 deaths have been attributed to the virus, equal to 184 fatalities for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, 202 deaths have been attributed to the virus per 100,000 people.

Though deaths attributable to the virus are less common across the metro area than they are nationwide, in some parts of the city the per capita death rate is more in line with the national average.

The broader Rapid City metro area comprises three counties or county equivalents — and of them, Pennington County has had the most COVID-19 fatalities per capita. So far, the per capita coronavirus death rate in Pennington County stands at 199 for every 100,000 people.

Though it has the highest per capita death rate in the Rapid City metro area, Pennington County ranks among the middle 50% of all U.S. counties or county equivalents by COVID-19 death rate per capita.

All COVID-19 data used in this story are current as of Sept. 16, 2021.

These are all the counties in South Dakota where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).