Aug. 4, 2025
Even with a slight rise in the unemployment rate in the Sioux Falls metro area, it was still the lowest in the country in June.
The jobless rate rose to 1.8 percent in June from 1.7 percent in May.
Rapid City remained in the No. 2 spot for metro areas with an unchanged rate of 1.9 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the Sioux Falls metro area, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties and Rock County in Minnesota, the 1.8 percent rate represents 3,248 unemployed people, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation. In May, the number of unemployed was 3,062.
The jobless rate, which is not seasonally adjusted and is preliminary, represents residents who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. It also includes those who have been laid off temporarily.
The total labor force for the Sioux Falls MSA, those who are employed and unemployed, was 179,124 in June, an increase from 177,797 in May.
A year ago, the metro area jobless rate was 1.8 percent, with 3,194 unemployed people.
The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 15,195 people in the metro area, up from 14,915 in May. That includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.
The number of job openings in the Sioux Falls MSA fell to 10,489 in June, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system. There were 10,675 open positions the previous month. A year ago, there were 12,193 openings.
Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls MSA rose by 2,500 people to 183,700 in June compared with the previous month. The biggest percentage increase – 8.8 percent — was in the leisure and hospitality category with 1,500 additional jobs. The only decline was in private education and health services, which was down 1.3 percent, a loss of 500 jobs.
Compared with a year ago, overall nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels were up by 1,300 people in the MSA. Mining, logging and construction was 7.8 percent higher than a year ago, while financial activities was down 3.4 percent.
Across the country, unemployment rates for June were the same as May in 47 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Virginia saw the only increase, and Illinois and Maine registered the only declines.
South Dakota’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.8 percent, remaining as the lowest rate in the country.
The next-lowest rate was North Dakota at 2.5 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate at 5.9 percent, and the next highest rates were in California and Nevada at 5.4 percent each.
South Dakota’s jobless rate, which is seasonally adjusted, represents 9,000 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work, along with those laid off temporarily, according to the state Labor Department. A year ago, the rate was 1.8 percent, and there were 8,800 unemployed South Dakotans.
In June, South Dakota’s labor force rose by 300 people to 493,900 from the previous month. A year ago, it was 488,300.
The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 42,770 people. That’s up from 41,515 in May and includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.
The national unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent in May. It was unchanged from a year ago.