State report

State of Vet Care in South Dakota

As of October 2026, South Dakota has 166 veterinary practices tracked; 4.8% are corporately owned , led by NVA with 6 in-state locations . 95.2% of practices remain independently owned , and 6.6% are actively hiring .

Key takeaways

  • 166 veterinary practices tracked in South Dakota, of which 4.8% are corporately owned.
  • 1.2% of practices in South Dakota are private-equity-backed.
  • NVA (owned by JAB Holding Company) leads all consolidators operating in the state with 6 locations.
  • General practices make up 80.1% of the state's practice mix.

Consolidation by city

At a glance

166
Practices tracked
95.2%
Independent
4.8%
Corporately owned
1.2%
PE-backed

6.6% of practices in South Dakota are actively hiring.

Ownership breakdown in South Dakota

Ownership type Practices Share
Independent 158 95.2%
PE-backed 2 1.2%
Corporate group 6 3.6%
National ownership-type breakdown, stacked by share Independent: 95.2% (158 practices) PE-backed: 1.2% (2 practices) Corporate group: 3.6% (6 practices) 95% Independent (95.2%) PE-backed (1.2%) Corporate group (3.6%)

Top consolidators operating in South Dakota

Ranked by in-state locations. See the full national leaderboard on ownership & consolidation statistics.

# Group Ultimate owner In-state locations Share of corporate practices
1 NVA JAB Holding Company (Strategic) 6 75.0%
2 PetVet Care Centers KKR (Private Equity) 1 12.5%
3 Veterinary Practice Partners Audax Private Equity (Private Equity) 1 12.5%

Practice-type mix

Type Practices Share
General 133 80.1%
Mixed 28 16.9%
Mobile 3 1.8%
Emergency 2 1.2%

Species mix

Segment Practices Share
Mixed 108 65.1%
Small Animal 54 32.5%
Food Animal 3 1.8%
Equine 1 0.6%

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Veterinary careers in South Dakota

171 open veterinary jobs

Who's hiring in South Dakota right now.

See jobs →

Veterinarian salary

What veterinarians earn in South Dakota.

See pay →

Vet tech salary

What veterinary technicians earn in South Dakota.

See pay →

Frequently asked questions

How many veterinary practices are in South Dakota?

As of October 2026, VetPulse tracks 166 veterinary practices in South Dakota.

What percentage of veterinary practices in South Dakota are corporately owned?

4.8% of veterinary practices in South Dakota are corporately owned — part of a consolidator, private-equity-backed group, or public company — while 95.2% remain independent.

Who is the largest veterinary consolidator in South Dakota?

NVA (owned by JAB Holding Company) is the largest veterinary consolidator operating in South Dakota, with 6 in-state locations.

What share of veterinary practices in South Dakota are hiring?

6.6% of veterinary practices in South Dakota are actively hiring, based on live job-signal data.

Every figure above is queried live from our practice-level dataset — see the methodology for how ownership is triangulated from multiple independent sources. Compare South Dakota against every other state on the ownership & consolidation statistics page, or browse the rankings.