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Hyde County Court House - Highmore - South Dakota (52475058860)Photo: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
Health in Highmore · CDC PLACES 2025

Where Highmore residents get care

CDC publishes only some of its health estimates for Highmore, not the seven a Health Grade needs; here is what we do have.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Highmore. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Highmore

Highmore is short on every kind of care federal data tracks

Highmore’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care, dental care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓

Heart disease, stroke and cancer run high in Highmore

1 in 11 adults have heart disease (9.3%), vs 6.8% across South Dakota. 1 in 21 adults have had a stroke (4.7%), vs 3.5% across South Dakota. Cancer is also above the state: 12.3%, vs 9.2% across South Dakota. In all, Highmore runs above South Dakota on six of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 27% of residents are 65 or older (South Dakota 18%), and heart disease, stroke and cancer are more common later in life. Conditions ↓

The nearest ER is 22 miles from Highmore

The closest emergency room is Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital and Clinic in Miller, 22 miles away in a straight line. For everyday care, Rural Health Care is closer (0.2 mi) and charges on a sliding scale. Getting care ↓

More high blood pressure in Highmore, and more people treating it

38.5% of adults have high blood pressure (South Dakota 33.3%), but 80.9% of them take medicine for it, vs 75.9% statewide. Checkups ↓

Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the South Dakota figure falls outside Highmore’s likely range.

★ What stands out · Getting care

Care in and near Highmore

1 community health center in Highmore, plus the nearest just outside it.

HNearest ERAvera Hand County Memorial Hospital and ClinicMiller · 22 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareHighmore · 0.2 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
0.2 mi
Rural Health Care
6 sites · nearest in Highmore
Sliding-scale feesIn Highmore
Directions to nearest
22 mi
Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital and Clinic
Miller · not rated
ERRural critical access
30.9 mi
Horizon Health Care
2 sites · nearest in Fort Thompson
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
38.2 mi
Faulkton Area Medical Center
Faulkton · not rated
ERRural critical access
41.6 mi
Avera Missouri River Health Center
Gettysburg · not rated
ERRural critical access
45.9 mi
Avera St. Mary's Hospital
Pierre · ★★★★★
ER
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Highmore itself
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Highmore itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Highmore itself

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Highmore; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Highmore adults…

Highmore runs above SD on 7 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

9 of every 100 Highmore adults have heart disease
South Dakota: 7 in 100 · worse · likely 7.9–10.8%
Better than SDWorseAbout the sameSouth Dakota
Why age matters here

Highmore is an older town: 27% of residents are 65 or older, vs 18% across South Dakota. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Highmore as about how healthy they are.

Residents 65 and older

Highmore27%
South Dakota18%
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Highmore adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks South Dakota.

79%Yearly checkupSD 77%
69%Dentist visitSD 69%
87%Cholesterol checkSD 85%
71%Colon screeningSD 66%
78%MammogramSD 77%
81%Taking BP medsSD 76%
1 in 12
working-age adults has no health insurance
Highmore 8.5% · South Dakota 1 in 11 (8.8%)
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with South Dakota

Share of adults, with the South Dakota figure marked.

Get no exercise 26.9%SD 24.1%
Sleep under 7 hours 28.6%SD 29.7%
Binge drink 15.6%SD 18.8%
Smoke cigarettes 15.3%SD 15.2%
0%10%20%30%40%
Highmore, betterHighmore, worseAbout the sameSouth Dakota
Where Highmore gets moving

Walk with neighbors

The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.

Mind & connection

How Highmore adults are doing

About the same as South Dakota on each measure.

1 in 5Highmore adults have been diagnosed with depression
20.5% · SD 21.2% · About the same as SD
1 in 7Highmore adults are in frequent mental distress
14.6% · SD 15.3% · About the same as SD
The one neighbors can help with

A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Around town

Highmore and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

34.9%

of Highmore adults live with a disability (South Dakota 30.1%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs17.1%
Thinking or memory13.9%
Hearing11.2%
Errands alone9.2%
Vision5.5%
Dressing or bathing4.4%
South Dakota

Questions about health in Highmore

Why doesn’t Highmore have a Health Grade?

Every Health Grade is built from seven of CDC’s PLACES estimates, and CDC doesn’t publish all seven for Highmore.

What hospital is closest to Highmore?

Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital and Clinic in Miller, 22.0 miles in a straight line from Highmore’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room. It has no Medicare star rating.

Where can I get low-cost care near Highmore?

1 community health center sites are within 10 miles; the nearest is Access Health - Highmore in Highmore, 0.2 miles away. They charge on a sliding scale by income.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Highmore.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The South Dakota figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.