Midwest region · state data

South Dakota unemployment rate and jobs

South Dakota's unemployment rate was 2.0% in Sep 2026, 2.2 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 2.1% a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

2.0%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-2.2 pt

A year earlier

2.1%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

1st of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

470,500

Job growth, 12 months

+0.4%

Record low rate

1.7% (Mar 2024)

Unemployment rate: South Dakota vs. the U.S.

2.0% Sep 2026 · Percent

1%2%3%4%5%20222023202420252026

South Dakota unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. South Dakota data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How South Dakota compares

In Sep 2026, South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 12 states in the Midwest region, the simple average was 3.5%, so South Dakota was 1.5 points below it.

Since the state series began in 1976, South Dakota's rate has ranged from a low of 1.7% in Mar 2024 to a high of 8.8% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 2.5%, 0.5 points higher than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 2.1% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in South Dakota

Employers in South Dakota reported 470,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 1,800 more than a year earlier (+0.4%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 27th of 51. The record high was 471,400 in Jun 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 6.2%.

470.5K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

440K450K460K470K20222023202420252026

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in South Dakota
MonthUnemployment rateU.S. rateNonfarm jobsMonthly job change
Sep 20262.0%4.2%470,500-500
Aug 20262.0%4.1%471,000-300
Jul 20262.0%4.1%471,300-100
Jun 20262.0%4.2%471,400+0
May 20262.1%4.3%471,400+1,500
Apr 20262.2%4.3%469,900-100
Mar 20262.3%4.3%470,000-200
Feb 20262.3%4.4%470,200+200
Jan 20262.2%4.3%470,000-100
Dec 20252.2%4.4%470,100+100
Nov 20252.2%4.5%470,000+1,300
Sep 20252.1%4.4%468,700-500

Record high unemployment rate: 8.8% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

North Dakota · 2.2%New Hampshire · 2.6%

Other Midwest states

IllinoisIndianaIowaKansasMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNebraskaNorth DakotaOhioWisconsin All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

FRED® is a registered trademark of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Neither the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis nor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics endorses OpenEcon.