According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “The Employment Situation” report, the US unemployment rate was 4.1% in February, and the economy added 151,000 jobs. When the data was broken down across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, almost everyone had a job in one state. It was 1.9%, the lowest among all states, in South Dakota, and only 9,155 people were unemployed,
State unemployment is variable. In February, the rates in Michigan and California were the highest at 5.4%. A total of 1,061,220 people did not have jobs in California.
Financial services, agriculture, and healthcare dominate South Dakotoa’s employment base. Four of the state’s largest employers are in the healthcare industry: Avera Health, Monument Health, Fort Meade, VA Medical Center, and Avera St Luke’s Hospital.
Two of the ten largest employers are the state and municipalities–the City of Sioux Falls and the Watertown School District.
The job base is stable. In June 2023, South Dakota set the record for lowest state unemployment nationwide at 1.8%. Among the reasons were a high level of job openings. Across the state, there were 24,000 job openings, over twice the number of unemployed people. Joseph Santos, professor of economics at South Dakota State University, commented, “A possible explanation is the mix of dominant sectors: education and health services; government; and trade, transportation and utilities.”
Whatever the theories are for the 1.9% number, a look back at unemployment rates shows that the state’s low unemployment has been well below the national average for years.
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