The local economy of South Dakota and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
2.0%
-0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Hyde County 1.3%, highest Corson County 7.4%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,211
+4.2%vs a year ago
451,691 jobs at 41,117 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
5,973
+17.5%this year vs last year
Most in Minnehaha County 2,329, Pennington County 616.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+2,417
+3.2 per 1,000residents
27,271 moved in and 24,854 moved out. Most newcomers came from Minnesota.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
South Dakota gas price
$4.29
+$1.38vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Gregory County $4.03, highest Sully County $5.00. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, South Dakota, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
29K
+0.9%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
384K
+2.7%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (19.5%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$20.7B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$53,870
Highest sector: Utilities $104,434.
Per employee per year
Share of South Dakota's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 28,822 | $71,217 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 28,093 | $20,919 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 11,513 | $78,694 |
| Grocery Stores | 9,658 | $19,834 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 9,018 | $29,136 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 8,878 | $30,477 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 8,263 | $86,654 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 7,544 | $63,451 |
| Offices of Physicians | 7,515 | $97,831 |
| Gasoline Stations | 6,743 | $28,627 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 6,433 | $60,868 |
| Religious Organizations | 5,372 | $23,414 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for South Dakota, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for South Dakota is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for South Dakota, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in South Dakota was 2.0% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.1% a year earlier. 476,316 people were employed out of a labor force of 485,944. Among its counties, Hyde County had the lowest rate (1.3%) and Corson County the highest (7.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in South Dakota was $1,211 in Q1 2026, up 4.2% from a year earlier, across 451,691 jobs at 41,117 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 742 new homes in South Dakota in August 2026 (343 single-family and 395 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 4,436, up 17.5% from the same months last year, and 5,973 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Minnehaha County (2,329), Pennington County (616), Lincoln County (391) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 27,271 people moved to South Dakota and 24,854 moved away, a net gain of 2,417 (+3.2 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Minnesota, Iowa, California, and most people who left went to Minnesota, Iowa, Texas.
Regular gasoline in South Dakota averaged $4.29 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.38 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.93. Among its counties, Gregory County had the lowest regular price ($4.03) and Sully County the highest ($5.00).
Health Care and Social Assistance (74,743 employees), Retail Trade (54,784 employees), Manufacturing (47,333 employees) were the largest sectors in South Dakota in 2023. In all, 29,106 business locations employed 383,805 people at an average pay of $53,870 a year.