Why South Dakota's Public Restrooms Are A Hidden Gem

For years, South Dakota has touted its 'Great Faces' and 'Great Places' to attract visitors from all corners on the globe, bragging up spots like Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, The Corn Palace, and Falls Park.

But there's one area that the state excels in that we haven heard much about.

Restrooms.

Crunching the Numbers

According to a new study by Tena, South Dakota isn't just a top ten state for public bathrooms, it's also home to a #1 commode city.

They compiled a list of all 50 U.S. states, along with the three most populous cities from each state, for a total of 150 cities. For each state and city, they provided ranking metrics with scores out of 10, the data used, and the methodology to score, which has been provided below:

Public bathroom discoverability score – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable public bathrooms on Google Maps and CityMapper in each state/city. 120 (or the maximum map apps shows) was a 10, while below 20 was a 1. Scores were differentiated based on the number of discoverable toilets in increments of 10 e.g. 70-79 toilets was a 7 score.
Public bathroom density score – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable public toilets on map apps per 100,000 people. 2 discoverable public bathrooms, 100,000 people received a score of 10, while less than 0.05 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a score of 1. Scores were assigned in increments of 0.5 e.g., 0.5 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a 7 score. Scores were decided in increments of 0.1 for the majority of states and cities, while those with higher scores than 1 were awarded in increments of 1 to allow us to differentiate higher representation from much lower gradations.
Bathroom cleanliness score – This was assigned based on the percentage of 4* reviews on map apps for each state/city. Where 90%+ of all reviews were 4* or above, a 10 was awarded, while a 1 was awarded for those with less than 40% 4* or above reviews. Scores were differentiated based on % of total reviews at 4* or above in increments of 5% e.g. 70-74% 4* reviews was a 7 score.
Discoverability score of accessible public bathrooms – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable accessible public bathrooms on map apps in each state/city. 120 (or the maximum map apps shows) was a 10, while below 20 was a 1. Scores were differentiated based on amounts of discoverable toilets in increments of 15 e.g. 85-100 toilets was a 7 score.
Density score of accessible public bathrooms – This was assigned based on the number of discoverable accessible public toilets on map apps per 100,000 people. 10+ discoverable public bathrooms 100,000 people received a score of 10, while less than 0.2 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a score of 1. Scores were assigned in increments of 0.5-1 e.g. 3-3.9 public bathrooms per 100,000 people received a 7 score.

Top Toilet Town

When it come to the city with the highest wheelchair-accessible density score, look no further than South Dakota's capital city.

Pierre leads the nation with 79.93 accessible bathrooms per 100,000 residents, based on a population of 13,762. That earns it a perfect score of 10. The city also logged scores of 6 for discoverability, 10 for density, 10 for cleanliness, 5 for wheelchair-accessible discoverability, and 10 for wheelchair-accessible density.

Top Cities for Wheelchair-Accessible Restroom Density

Pierre, South Dakota
San Francisco, California
Orlando, Florida
Seattle, Washington
Hilo, Hawaii
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Helena, Montana
Miami, Florida
Honolulu, Hawaii
Los Angeles, California

South Dakota Shines

As a state, South Dakota cracked the top five for the most discoverable public bathrooms in America, tying with Oregon and Idaho at number four.

South Dakota scored highest in restroom density (8 of 10), accessible restroom density (8 of 10), and cleanliness (7 of 10).

Top States for Most Discoverable Public Bathrooms

xxx South Dakota

Wyoming
Montana
Hawaii
Oregon
Idaho
South Dakota
Michigan
New York
Indiana
Utah

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Out of 30, I am guilty of 19. And no I won't tell you which ones.

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It may also surprise you how many of these creatures can be found in South Dakota.

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10 Most Dangerous Cities in South Dakota

Cities on the east and west side of the Missouri River have made the latest list of South Dakota's Most Dangerous Cities for 2021.

Roadsnacks recently released its most 'Dangerous Cities' list and here in The Mount Rushmore state there are a few surprises, especially at the top. To determine the most dangerous cities in the state, Roadsnacks looked at the FBI's report on the latest violent crime, along with property crime statistics.

And surprisingly, the town with the most murders per capita in the state has less than 3,000 residents. Take a look at the list below.

For a look at the detailed list, visit roadsnacks.com Story Source: Roadsncaks

Source: Who Knew? South Dakota Excels In Public Bathroom Quality