Comparison
Rhode Island vs. South Dakota
The farm payments paid out for Rhode Island stood at $3.5 million against $1.1 billion for South Dakota in 2025, according to the Farm Service Agency.
The 13 measures the Factbook publishes for both Rhode Island and South Dakota — different agencies, different periods, counting different things. Nothing here adds or scores one against another.
Measure by measure
Violent crime rate · Crime and justice
By violent crime rate, Rhode Island is 48 of 51 and South Dakota is 23 of 51. Highest on the right.
Imprisonment rate · Crime and justice
By imprisonment rate, Rhode Island is 48 of 50 and South Dakota is 11 of 50. Highest on the right.
Federal spending per resident · Federal spending
By obligations per resident, Rhode Island is 24 of 51 and South Dakota is 33 of 51. Highest on the right.
Registered nonprofits · Nonprofits
By registered nonprofits, Rhode Island is 48 of 51 and South Dakota is 46 of 51. Highest on the right.
Industry payments to health providers · Health
By industry payments to health providers, Rhode Island is 42 of 51 and South Dakota is 44 of 51. Highest on the right.
Farm payments paid out · Farm subsidies
By farm payments paid out, Rhode Island is 48 of 50 and South Dakota is 9 of 50. Highest on the right.
PPP loans approved · PPP loans
By PPP loans approved, Rhode Island is 44 of 51 and South Dakota is 45 of 51. Highest on the right.
School spending per pupil · Schools
By school spending per pupil, Rhode Island is 8 of 51 and South Dakota is 43 of 51. Highest on the right.
Bank offices per 100,000 residents · Banks and credit unions
By bank offices per 100,000 residents, Rhode Island is 31 of 51 and South Dakota is 3 of 51. Highest on the right.
HUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents · Housing
By hUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents, Rhode Island is 2 of 51 and South Dakota is 23 of 51. Highest on the right.
Mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents · Mortgage lending
By mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents, Rhode Island is 16 of 51 and South Dakota is 41 of 51. Highest on the right.
College sports revenue · Sports
By college sports revenue, Rhode Island is 37 of 51 and South Dakota is 43 of 51. Highest on the right.
Federal civilian employees · Federal salaries
By federal civilian employees, Rhode Island is 49 of 51 and South Dakota is 40 of 51. Highest on the right.
The differences
Each row is one publisher’s measure over its own period. The difference is one state’s figure taken from the other’s within that row, and nothing is carried from one row to the next.
| Measure | Rhode Island | South Dakota | Difference | Higher | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rateper 100,000 · 2025 | 145.8 per 100,000 | 327.2 per 100,000 | 181.4 | South Dakota | The FBI’s Crime Data ExplorerFederal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division |
| Imprisonment rateper 100,000 · 2023 | 122 per 100,000 | 405 per 100,000 | 283 | South Dakota | The Bureau of Justice StatisticsU.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics |
| Federal spending per residentFY2025 | $13,586 | $12,299 | $1,287 | Rhode Island | USAspendingU.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service |
| Registered nonprofits2026 | 6,675 | 7,469 | 794 | South Dakota | The IRSInternal Revenue Service |
| Industry payments to health providers2019–2025 | $44.5 million | $39.9 million | $4.6 million | Rhode Island | CMS Open PaymentsCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
| Farm payments paid out2025 | $3.5 million | $1.1 billion | $1.1 billion | South Dakota | The Farm Service AgencyU.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency |
| PPP loans approved2020–2021 | $2.9 billion | $2.7 billion | $148.0 million | Rhode Island | The SBAU.S. Small Business Administration |
| School spending per pupilFY2024 | $21,965 | $12,827 | $9,138 | Rhode Island | NCESNational Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education |
| Bank offices per 100,000 residentsJune 2026 | 21.3 | 45.4 | 24.2 | South Dakota | The FDICFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
| HUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents2025 | 34.5 | 15.0 | 19.5 | Rhode Island | HUDU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research |
| Mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents2025 | 23.3 | 18.3 | 5.0 | Rhode Island | The CFPBConsumer Financial Protection Bureau |
| College sports revenue2024–25 | $190.2 million | $120.1 million | $70.1 million | Rhode Island | The Education Department’s athletics disclosuresOffice of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education |
| Federal civilian employeesAugust 2026 | 2,963 | 6,697 | 3,734 | South Dakota | OPMU.S. Office of Personnel Management |
What this cannot show
- Reporting to the FBI is voluntary. This counts offenses the participating agencies reported, over the population those agencies covered — so a state whose agencies reported less is not thereby safer, and two states are only comparable with their coverage shares beside them.
- Prisons are not jails. People held in local jails awaiting trial or serving short sentences are a separate collection and are not counted here, so this is not the number of people behind bars in the state.
- An obligation is a binding commitment to pay, recorded where the work is performed rather than where the money reaches people. One agency running something national from one office puts that whole figure in one state, which is why a small state can lead the country per resident.
- Nothing here is comparable across the three. They are different agencies counting different things over different periods, and no figure on this page is derived from another.
- The difference column subtracts one state’s published figure from the other’s within a measure, and that is the only arithmetic on this page. Each measure is one publisher’s count over its own period and denominator; a rate over the population the reporting agencies covered, a dollar figure for a fiscal year and a count of people are not comparable with one another, and nothing here ranks or scores one state against the other across measures.
Sources
- FBI Crime Data Explorer API — Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 19, 2026
- Bureau of Justice Statistics — Prisoners — U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics · BJS reuse policy
- USAspending API v2 — U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 23, 2026
- Exempt Organizations Business Master File — Internal Revenue Service · retrieved October 14, 2026
- Open Payments — payments grouped by physician — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
- Farm program payment files — U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency · retrieved September 24, 2026
- SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FOIA — loan-level data — U.S. Small Business Administration · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
- NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) — newest fiscal year — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education · U.S. Government work · retrieved October 21, 2026
- FDIC BankFind — locations (every current office of an FDIC-insured institution) — Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 31, 2026
- HUD Picture of Subsidized Households — by county, program and sub-program — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research · HUD web publication statement · retrieved September 27, 2026
- HMDA public loan/application register (LAR) — each year's fullest national release — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · CFPB website policy: public domain · retrieved October 22, 2026
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data — every college athletics program, by institution — Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 27, 2026
- OPM Federal Workforce Data — Federal Employment Raw Data (EHRI Status) — U.S. Office of Personnel Management · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 9, 2026
Compiled automatically from FBI Crime Data Explorer API, Bureau of Justice Statistics — Prisoners, USAspending API v2, Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Open Payments — payments grouped by physician, Farm program payment files, SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FOIA — loan-level data, NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) — newest fiscal year, FDIC BankFind — locations (every current office of an FDIC-insured institution), HUD Picture of Subsidized Households — by county, program and sub-program, HMDA public loan/application register (LAR) — each year's fullest national release, Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data — every college athletics program, by institution and OPM Federal Workforce Data — Federal Employment Raw Data (EHRI Status) by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built
Data retrieved