Pet insurance cost by state / West North Central
Published state averages · checked October 20, 2026
What does pet insurance cost in South Dakota?
Pawlicy Advisor's 2026 customer quotes put the median South Dakota premium at $38.03 a month across all pets, the 40th highest of 51 states and DC. Insurify's May 2026 medians are $48 for a dog and $24 for a cat, and Forbes Advisor's South Dakota average for a 3-year-old dog is $47 at a $5,000 annual limit.
- 1Pawlicy median, all pets $38.03/mo
- 2Insurify, dogs $48/mo
- 3Insurify, cats $24/mo
- 4Share of US insured pets 0.1%
Every published South Dakota figure
| Source | What it measures | Monthly | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawlicy Advisor | Median of customer quotes, all pets; middle half $22.16–$85.43 | $38.03 | October 15, 2026 |
| Insurify | Median of quotes, dogs | $48 | May 31, 2026 |
| Insurify | Median of quotes, cats | $24 | May 31, 2026 |
| Forbes Advisor | Average, dog aged 3, $250 deductible, 80%, $5,000 limit | $47 | October 1, 2026 |
| Forbes Advisor | Same dog, unlimited annual payout | $66 | October 1, 2026 |
The two large quote sets disagree on where South Dakota stands: Pawlicy ranks it 40th of 51, Insurify's dog medians 19th. They draw on different customers, insurers and dates, which is why this page shows both rather than one blended number. Pawlicy's all-pet median is 14% less than the median state ($43.97); Insurify's dog figure is 7% more than its median state ($45) and its cat figure 9% more than ($22). Forbes Advisor's $5,000-limit dog average is 9% more than the median of the 50 states it publishes ($43), and lifting the limit to unlimited adds 40% in South Dakota.
Dogs versus cats in South Dakota
A cat costs 50% of a dog's premium in Insurify's South Dakota figures ($24 against $48). Nationally, NAPHIA's 2025 averages are $69.67 a month for a dog and $36.25 for a cat on accident-and-illness cover, so South Dakota's Insurify dog median is 31% less than the national dog average. Accident-only plans are far cheaper: NAPHIA's 2025 averages work out to $15.83 a month for dogs and $9.33 for cats. Within the Pawlicy quotes for South Dakota, the middle half runs from $22.16 to $85.43, a band 166% as wide as the median, because age, breed and coverage choices spread prices within one state.
How many South Dakota pets are insured
NAPHIA's 2025 figures place 0.1% of all insured US pets in South Dakota (50th of 51) and 0.1% of the premium written. The two shares are about equal, so the average South Dakota policy brings in about the US-average premium. Pet insurance is regulated by each state; the South Dakota insurance department is the free route for checking an insurer's licence or filing a complaint, reachable from the NAIC directory.
Premiums against a vet bill in South Dakota
Trupanion's published average claim for a torn cruciate ligament is $5,439. At South Dakota's Insurify dog median of $48 a month and a policy with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement, the policy pays $4,151, the owner pays $1,288 of the bill plus $576 in premiums: $1,864 for the year against $5,439 uninsured. With no claim the premiums are simply spent. The break-even bill is $970 a year for a dog and $610 for a cat at the Insurify medians. Run other terms in the calculator or read deductible versus reimbursement.
Neighbouring states
North Dakota: $55.88 (Pawlicy), $45 dog and $20 cat (Insurify); Minnesota: $41.68 (Pawlicy), $42 dog and $20 cat (Insurify); Iowa: $41.13 (Pawlicy), $43 dog and $18 cat (Insurify); Nebraska: $39.46 (Pawlicy), $45 dog and $21 cat (Insurify); Missouri: $38.78 (Pawlicy), $39 dog and $17 cat (Insurify); Kansas: $33.36 (Pawlicy), $49 dog and $22 cat (Insurify). Across all states Pawlicy's highest median is Hawaii ($64.01) and the lowest Alaska ($28.02).
No source publishes breed premiums for individual states, so breed pages show national figures: for example Pekingese, Bichon Frise, the mixed-breed dog and the mixed-breed cat.
Sources: Pawlicy Advisor (updated October 15, 2026), Insurify (Rates current as of May 31, 2026), Forbes Advisor (Audited and verified Oct 1, 2026), NAPHIA State of the Industry 2026, Trupanion claims examples. Last checked October 20, 2026. Method on the methodology page.