Ranked 7 of 15 states · median $725/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old architect in South Dakota pays a median $725/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 7th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $512 from Avera in Lincoln. On counties covered, South Dakota ranks 13 of 15 for this occupation.
Once your work crosses county and state lines, network geography stops being a detail and becomes the whole decision. An HMO contracted in one metro leaves you paying cash 200 miles down the road, and a handful of states filed no PPO at all for 2026. These rankings lead with reach.
Occupational context: Site-visit fall risk; prolonged screen and drafting strain.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in South Dakota are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a architect in one South Dakota county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | $516 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Yankton | $532 | Avera | $6,000 | 2 |
| Codington | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Grant | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Spink | $679 | Sanford | $6,000 | 3 |
| Douglas | $702 | Avera | $6,000 | 2 |
The spread across just these six is $186/month — $2,237 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $512 to $882. Coverage by County publishes all 66 South Dakota counties individually.
| South Dakota — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 66 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | EPO, HMO, PPO |
| PPO available on exchange | Yes |
| Carriers filing in the state | 3 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $512 — Lincoln |
South Dakota has PPO plans available. For a architect covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 66 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 1,822 plan records across 66 South Dakota counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687), Michigan ($708). More expensive: Oklahoma ($731), Kansas ($765), Florida ($789).
Side-by-side: South Dakota vs Wisconsin · South Dakota vs Michigan · South Dakota vs Oklahoma · South Dakota vs Kansas
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether South Dakota is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a architect weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Licensing, CAD software, E&O insurance, site travel. Premiums are generally deductible above the line under IRC §162(l) when no employer plan is available to you or your spouse — a question for your CPA, not your agent.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in South Dakota is $512 per month from Avera, with a state median of $725. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. Under the ACA, carriers cannot rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Rates vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, PPO.
South Dakota ranks 7 of 15 states covered here, at a median $725 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Above the cliff. At this income a single-person household receives no premium tax credit for 2026 and pays the full premium.
This occupation is above the cliff in all 21 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (SOC 17-1011) in South Dakota. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed architect. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For South Dakota specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Architects in South Dakota and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
South Dakota has 3 carriers filing across 66 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for an architect buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
On price the only honest number today is national: the Peterson-KFF read of 2027 filings puts the median proposed rise near 15%, spanning −1% to 54%. Final South Dakota rates are not approved, so any precise 2027 figure quoted for this state is guesswork.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in South Dakota and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
In your favour: PPOs are sold in all 66 South Dakota counties. That is the type most likely to pay toward out-of-network care, and worth defending at renewal if your work as an architect takes you around.
Nothing about 2027 is urgent yet, which is exactly why it is worth ten minutes now. Come November you will be choosing between South Dakota’s carriers under a deadline; today you can do it without one.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Coverage for Architects is priced county by county across South Dakota. Enter your ZIP and I will show you what is on the table.