Counties with the highest unemployment in South Dakota

Written by:
Stacker
May 3, 2024
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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 March 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 have mixed 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 April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up 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.

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#50. Davison County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 11,021 people (182 unemployed)

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#49. Yankton County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,873 people (196 unemployed)

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#48. Lincoln County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 37,830 people (649 unemployed)

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#47. Stanley County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,976 people (35 unemployed)

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SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#46. Edmunds County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,072 people (38 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#45. Moody County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 4,129 people (74 unemployed)

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#44. Butte County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,329 people (96 unemployed)

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#43. Beadle County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 9,185 people (168 unemployed)

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#42. Lawrence County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,449 people (258 unemployed)

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#41. Sanborn County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,292 people (25 unemployed)

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#40. McCook County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,229 people (60 unemployed)

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#39. Charles Mix County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,964 people (74 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#38. Turner County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,904 people (94 unemployed)

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#37. Meade County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,379 people (273 unemployed)

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#36. Pennington County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 59,045 people (1,098 unemployed)

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#35. Minnehaha County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 1.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 117,300 people (2,271 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#34. Clark County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,388 people (47 unemployed)

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Bennekom // Shutterstock

#33. Bon Homme County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,946 people (60 unemployed)

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#32. Codington County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,235 people (320 unemployed)

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#31. Gregory County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,145 people (44 unemployed)

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#30. Union County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,660 people (178 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#29. Brown County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,969 people (424 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#28. Corson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,363 people (30 unemployed)

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#27. Kingsbury County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,796 people (61 unemployed)

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#26. McPherson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,048 people (24 unemployed)

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#25. Miner County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,367 people (31 unemployed)

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#24. Todd County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 3,033 people (69 unemployed)

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#23. Campbell County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 805 people (19 unemployed)

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#22. Lyman County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,703 people (41 unemployed)

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#21. Hutchinson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,799 people (90 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#20. Potter County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,061 people (28 unemployed)

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#19. Hanson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,842 people (47 unemployed)

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vagabond54 // Shutterstock

#18. Day County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,680 people (69 unemployed)

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#17. Custer County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,314 people (112 unemployed)

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#16. Mellette County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 809 people (22 unemployed)

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#15. Ziebach County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 994 people (27 unemployed)

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#14. Hyde County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 704 people (20 unemployed)

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#13. Buffalo County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 686 people (20 unemployed)

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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#12. Spink County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,113 people (93 unemployed)

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#11. Jackson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 1,264 people (41 unemployed)

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#10. Dewey County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,322 people (75 unemployed)

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#9. Marshall County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,516 people (80 unemployed)

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#8. Fall River County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,974 people (99 unemployed)

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#7. Roberts County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,850 people (163 unemployed)

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#6. Deuel County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,313 people (80 unemployed)

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#5. Grant County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,579 people (159 unemployed)

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#4. Walworth County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,059 people (77 unemployed)

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vagabond54 // Shutterstock

#3. Bennett County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,094 people (44 unemployed)

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#2. Jones County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 521 people (22 unemployed)

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#1. Oglala Lakota County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,433 people (182 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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