South Dakota is the 40th state of the United States, admitted into the union in the year. It is the 17th largest of all the 50 states in terms of area, and the 5th smallest in terms of population. The state has a violent crime rate slightly higher than the national average at 505 per 100,000 residents. In terms of specific crimes, South Dakota’s situation can be best described as interesting - whole the state has rates of aggravated and other  assaults (the state’s most common crimes) are much higher than the national average, but its homicide rates are one of the lowest in the country.