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South Dakota Unemployment Rate

2.0% in Sep 2026, the lowest of 51 states and DC.

Unemployment rate
2.0%
Sep 2026
Change in a year
-0.1 pts
U.S. rate
4.2%
Labor force
484,677

Unemployment rate in South Dakota

Monthly, seasonally adjusted, compared with the U.S.

South DakotaUnited States
Show as a table
PeriodSouth Dakota
Sep 20262.0%
Dec 20252.2%
Dec 20241.9%
Dec 20231.8%
Dec 20221.9%
Dec 20212.0%
Dec 20203.0%
Dec 20192.6%
Dec 20182.7%
Dec 20173.0%
Dec 20163.1%
Dec 20152.8%
Dec 20143.2%
Dec 20133.5%
Dec 20123.9%

Counties in South Dakota

Largest labor force first, not seasonally adjusted

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

CountyRate1-year changeLabor force
Minnehaha County2.2%+0.1 pts120,126
Pennington County2.1%0.0 pts60,737
Lincoln County2.0%0.0 pts43,590
Brown County2.0%-0.1 pts19,505
Brookings County2.0%-0.3 pts19,228
Codington County1.8%-0.2 pts16,552
Meade County2.1%0.0 pts16,510
Lawrence County1.9%-0.3 pts15,924
Yankton County1.9%-0.1 pts12,055
Davison County1.8%-0.1 pts10,825
Hughes County1.7%-0.1 pts9,161
Union County2.6%+0.4 pts9,034
Beadle County1.9%-0.3 pts8,850
Clay County2.1%-0.4 pts7,601
Lake County1.8%-0.1 pts6,401
Butte County1.7%-0.2 pts5,567
Turner County1.8%0.0 pts4,886
Roberts County3.8%-0.4 pts4,710
Custer County2.2%+0.1 pts4,643
Charles Mix County1.6%-0.5 pts4,077
Grant County2.1%-0.6 pts4,012
Hutchinson County1.5%0.0 pts3,971
Oglala Lakota County5.3%-1.1 pts3,838
Hamlin County1.5%0.0 pts3,693
Moody County2.0%-0.4 pts3,374
Fall River County2.9%+0.3 pts3,289
McCook County1.8%-0.2 pts3,083
Spink County2.1%0.0 pts3,078
Brule County1.6%-0.3 pts2,980
Tripp County1.9%+0.1 pts2,957
Day County2.6%+0.2 pts2,768
Kingsbury County2.3%-0.1 pts2,622
Bon Homme County2.3%0.0 pts2,569
Deuel County1.7%-0.5 pts2,493
Walworth County2.7%+0.2 pts2,429
Marshall County1.8%-0.3 pts2,348
Todd County7.4%+0.2 pts2,277
Dewey County5.1%-1.8 pts2,035
Gregory County1.6%-0.3 pts1,950
Edmunds County1.8%+0.1 pts1,874
Stanley County1.9%+0.3 pts1,825
Clark County1.9%-0.3 pts1,822
Hand County2.6%+0.6 pts1,761
Lyman County3.1%+0.7 pts1,701
Hanson County2.9%+0.8 pts1,696
Perkins County2.0%-0.1 pts1,531
Aurora County1.6%+0.1 pts1,441
Sanborn County1.9%-0.1 pts1,388
Douglas County2.5%+0.4 pts1,349
Bennett County2.8%+0.5 pts1,315
Potter County2.8%+0.5 pts1,220
Corson County7.4%+0.6 pts1,120
McPherson County3.1%+0.3 pts1,106
Faulk County2.1%+0.6 pts1,076
Miner County2.1%+0.3 pts1,075
Ziebach County3.4%-0.1 pts920
Haakon County1.6%0.0 pts896
Jackson County2.9%0.0 pts893
Sully County1.7%0.0 pts819
Jerauld County2.1%+0.3 pts798
Harding County1.4%-0.5 pts793
Mellette County6.2%+1.6 pts790
Hyde County1.3%-0.7 pts668
Campbell County4.4%-0.8 pts663
Buffalo County5.7%+2.2 pts650
Jones County3.1%+1.3 pts446

Metro areas in South Dakota

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

Metro areaRate1-year change
Rapid City, SD2.1%0.0 pts
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD3.4%0.0 pts
Sioux Falls, SD-MN2.2%+0.1 pts

Frequently asked questions

What is the unemployment rate in South Dakota?
South Dakota's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.0% in Sep 2026, compared with 4.2% for the U.S.
Which South Dakota county has the highest unemployment?
Todd County had the highest rate at 7.4% in Aug 2026 (not seasonally adjusted).