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Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

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Labor Market Information Center

December South Dakota statewide data released

Please note: The following data release includes December 2025 seasonally adjusted statewide labor force and both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted statewide nonfarm data. The full release of December 2025 labor force and not seasonally adjusted nonfarm wage and salaried worker data for all areas will be January 30, with the publication of the January 2026 South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin. December 2025 labor force and not seasonally adjusted nonfarm data will also be available in the virtual labor market data system at that time. The release of December 2025 seasonally adjusted labor force data for the two Metropolitan Statistical Areas is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2026.

Labor Force

Preliminary estimates show South Dakota's unemployment rate increased 0.1% to 2.2% in December 2025. The labor force increased over the month by 400 workers (0.1%) to 492,600 workers, and the level of unemployed increased by 400 (3.9%) to 10,600 persons unemployed.

Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force
  December 2025   November 2025
Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate
United States 171,495,000 163,992,000 7,503,000 4.4% 171,541,000 163,760,000 7,781,000 4.5%
South Dakota 492,600 482,000 10,600 2.2% 492,200 482,000 10,200 2.1%
Source: Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

South Dakota's December 2025 labor force of 492,600 increased compared to the December 2024 level of 490,700. The level of employed increased by 400 persons; the number of unemployed increased by 1,500 persons (16.5%). The unemployment rate increased 0.3% to 2.2%.

Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force
  December 2025   December 2024
Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate
United States 171,495,000 163,992,000 7,503,000 4.4% 168,506,000 161,586,000 6,920,000 4.1%
South Dakota 492,600 482,000 10,600 2.2% 490,700 481,600 9,100 1.9%
Source: Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. People are classified as unemployed if they do not have jobs, have actively looked for work in the prior four weeks and are currently available for work. People who were not working and were waiting to be recalled to jobs from which they were temporarily laid off are also included as unemployed.

Note: The published unemployment rate presented above may not equal the percentage calculated using the published unemployed and labor force figures presented above due to rounding.

Nonfarm wage & salaried workers

The December 2025 nonfarm worker data is preliminary and subject to revision.

Seasonally Adjusted

The seasonally adjusted nonfarm worker level decreased 400 workers (0.1%) over the month to 473,100 workers in December 2025. Retail had the largest over-the-month loss, decreasing 800 workers (1.5%).

Over the year, the seasonally adjusted nonfarm worker level increased by 2,600 workers (0.6%), reaching 473,100 workers in December 2025. Gains in Leisure & Hospitality (1,000 workers or 1.9%), Construction (700 workers or 2.3%), and Professional & Business Services (700 workers or 1.9%) were the driving forces to this growth.

South Dakota
(Seasonally Adjusted)
  % Change From
  December*
2025		 November
2025 		December
2024		 Last
Month		 Last
Year
Total Nonfarm 473,100 473,500 470,500 -0.1 0.6
Mining, Logging and Construction 31,800 31,900 31,100 -0.3 2.3
  Mining and Logging 1,300 1,300 1,300 0.0 0.0
  Construction 30,500 30,600 29,800 -0.3 2.3
Manufacturing 44,000 43,800 44,200 0.5 -0.5
  Durable Goods 27,500 27,400 27,300 0.4 0.7
  Non-durable Goods 16,500 16,400 16,900 0.6 -2.4
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 91,600 92,500 92,300 -1.0 -0.8
  Wholesale Trade 21,800 22,200 22,300 -1.8 -2.2
  Retail Trade 54,200 55,000 54,300 -1.5 -0.2
  Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 15,600 15,300 15,700 2.0 -0.6
Information 5,200 5,300 5,200 -1.9 0.0
Financial Activities 27,800 27,800 27,500 0.0 1.1
Professional and Business Services 38,300 38,600 37,600 -0.8 1.9
Private Education and Health Services 80,400 80,100 79,700 0.4 0.9
  Private Educational Services 7,100 7,000 7,700 1.4 -7.8
  Health Care and Social Assistance 73,300 73,100 72,000 0.3 1.8
Leisure and Hospitality 52,300 51,600 51,300 1.4 1.9
Other Services (except Public Administration) 19,100 19,300 18,500 -1.0 3.2
Government 82,600 82,600 83,100 0.0 -0.6
  Federal Government 11,000 11,000 11,800 0.0 -6.8
  State Government 19,100 19,100 18,900 0.0 1.1
  Local Government 52,500 52,500 52,400 0.0 0.2
Source: Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The table above shows the seasonally adjusted data. A table displaying the not seasonally adjusted data can be found below. Visit our technical notes page for an explanation of seasonal adjustment.

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Over the month, the not seasonally adjusted nonfarm wage and salaried worker level decreased by 1,300 workers (0.3%), falling to 473,400 workers in December 2025. Construction had the largest over-the-month loss, decreasing by 1,300 workers (4.2%).

Over the year, the not seasonally adjusted worker level increased by 2,900 (0.6%) to 473,400 workers in December 2025. The largest number of jobs were added within Leisure & Hospitality (1,700 workers or 3.5%), Private Education & Health Services (900 workers or 1.1%), Other Services (500 workers or 2.7%), and Professional & Business Services (500 workers or 1.3%).

South Dakota
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)
    % Change From
December*
2025		 November
2025 		December
2024		 Last
Month		 Last
Year
Total Nonfarm 473,400 474,700 470,500 -0.3 0.6
Mining, Logging and Construction 31,000 32,300 30,600 -4.0 1.3
  Mining and Logging 1,300 1,300 1,300 0.0 0.0
  Construction 29,700 31,000 29,300 -4.2 1.4
   Construction of Buildings 7,600 7,900 7,400 -3.8 2.7
   Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 4,700 5,100 4,300 -7.8 9.3
   Specialty Trade Contractors 17,400 18,000 17,600 -3.3 -1.1
Manufacturing 44,100 43,700 44,300 0.9 -0.5
  Durable Goods 27,600 27,300 27,400 1.1 0.7
  Non-Durable Goods 16,500 16,400 16,900 0.6 -2.4
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 92,900 93,000 93,400 -0.1 -0.5
  Wholesale Trade 21,900 22,200 22,400 -1.4 -2.2
  Retail Trade 54,800 55,100 54,800 -0.5 0.0
  Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 16,200 15,700 16,200 3.2 0.0
Information 5,300 5,300 5,300 0.0 0.0
Financial Activities 28,100 27,900 27,800 0.7 1.1
Professional and Business Services 37,800 38,900 37,300 -2.8 1.3
Private Education and Health Services 80,900 80,900 80,000 0.0 1.1
  Private Educational Services 7,700 7,700 8,100 0.0 -4.9
  Health Care and Social Assistance 73,200 73,200 71,900 0.0 1.8
   Hospitals 29,300 29,200 29,000 0.3 1.0
Leisure and Hospitality 50,800 49,600 49,100 2.4 3.5
Other Services (except Public Administration) 19,100 19,300 18,600 -1.0 2.7
Government 83,400 83,800 84,100 -0.5 -0.8
 Federal Government 11,000 10,900 11,800 0.9 -6.8
 State Government 19,500 20,000 19,400 -2.5 0.5
   State Government Educational Services 9,900 10,300 9,900 -3.9 0.0
 Local Government 52,900 52,900 52,900 0.0 0.0
   Local Government Educational Services 28,900 29,000 29,300 -0.3 -1.4
Source: Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

*Note: All December 2025 data in the tables and narrative above is preliminary and subject to revision.

A more comprehensive overview of the labor market in December 2025, including nonfarm industry data, will be available January 30 in the South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin published on this website. To view the current e-Labor Bulletin, click on the large "e" on our home page or subscribe to receive an email notice when a new edition is available.