Counties with the highest unemployment in South Dakota
Counties with the highest unemployment in South Dakota
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in South Dakota using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in South Dakota.
#50. Lake County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,721 people (162 unemployed)
#49. Davison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,978 people (266 unemployed)
#48. Hyde County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 668 people (17 unemployed)
#47. Edmunds County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,033 people (51 unemployed)
#46. Clark County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,322 people (59 unemployed)
#45. Butte County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,290 people (133 unemployed)
#44. Clay County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,662 people (195 unemployed)
#43. Lawrence County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,436 people (360 unemployed)
#42. Pennington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 58,930 people (1,484 unemployed)
#41. Sanborn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,247 people (32 unemployed)
#40. Gregory County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,113 people (55 unemployed)
#39. Codington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,151 people (428 unemployed)
#38. Brookings County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,544 people (514 unemployed)
#37. Minnehaha County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 117,197 people (3,027 unemployed)
#36. Douglas County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,504 people (41 unemployed)
#35. Stanley County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,956 people (53 unemployed)
#34. Bon Homme County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,871 people (78 unemployed)
#33. Turner County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,869 people (131 unemployed)
#32. Beadle County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,155 people (244 unemployed)
#31. Meade County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,363 people (385 unemployed)
#30. Campbell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 786 people (22 unemployed)
#29. Kingsbury County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,740 people (76 unemployed)
#28. Union County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,621 people (238 unemployed)
#27. Brown County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,916 people (568 unemployed)
#26. Charles Mix County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,895 people (115 unemployed)
#25. McPherson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,012 people (32 unemployed)
#24. Potter County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,034 people (33 unemployed)
#23. Miner County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,328 people (43 unemployed)
#22. Hutchinson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,740 people (120 unemployed)
#21. Day County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,634 people (86 unemployed)
#20. Spink County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,032 people (104 unemployed)
#19. Custer County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,271 people (147 unemployed)
#18. Mellette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 779 people (27 unemployed)
#17. Corson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,327 people (46 unemployed)
#16. Lyman County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,667 people (59 unemployed)
#15. Hanson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,818 people (68 unemployed)
#14. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,464 people (92 unemployed)
#13. Todd County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,025 people (111 unemployed)
#12. Ziebach County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 970 people (38 unemployed)
#11. Fall River County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,952 people (120 unemployed)
#10. Grant County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,486 people (185 unemployed)
#8. Dewey County (tie)
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,275 people (96 unemployed)
#8. Deuel County (tie)
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,276 people (96 unemployed)
#7. Roberts County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,782 people (200 unemployed)
#6. Jackson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,213 people (52 unemployed)
#5. Walworth County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,039 people (90 unemployed)
#4. Bennett County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,079 people (49 unemployed)
#3. Buffalo County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 694 people (32 unemployed)
#2. Jones County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 503 people (25 unemployed)
#1. Oglala Lakota County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,441 people (219 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
