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Labor Market Information Center

What's New

Overview of South Dakota Labor Market

See an overview of the labor market in South Dakota based on the most current data available, statewide labor force and nonfarm worker data for July 2018.

Snapshot of South Dakota's Economy

Get a quick synopsis, or snapshot, of the most current data available for numerous closely watched economic indicators.

2017 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Information Now Available

Find out which industries in South Dakota added the most establishments and workers in 2017, as well as which ones achieved the highest average annual pay. An analysis of 2017 employment and wage data by industry from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program is available from the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation’s Labor Market Information Center (LMIC). See the complete annual summary.

Does Postsecondary Education Pay?

How do wages of occupations not requiring education beyond high school compare, on average, with those that do require postsecondary education? Will occupational wages by level of education required motivate young career decision-makers to opt for higher education?

We think you’ll agree, yes, based on data released on our South Dakota Occupational Wages by Educational Level Requirement page.

The data in the table is based on 2017 average wages of more than 600 occupations, each of which have a level of education generally considered as a requirement for employment. The wage data was tabulated for each of the educational level categories (with the wage data weighted by employment in each specific occupation). For example, the table shows the 2017 average annual wage of occupations requiring some postsecondary education was $36,230. As noted below the table, this is not the same as saying all South Dakotans with some postsecondary education earn $36,230.

LMI Myth Busting: The Source of Occupational Wage Estimates

Many people may have the mistaken belief LMIC uses wage information from employers’ current job openings to determine the occupational wage estimates for South Dakota. Find out why wages are not based on job opening wages and discover the source of our occupational wage estimates in the third topic in our new LMI Myth Busting series.

Seasonally Adjusted June Labor Force Data for Metro Areas Available

Seasonally adjusted labor force data for South Dakota's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) of Rapid City and Sioux Falls for June 2018 were released Wednesday, Aug. 1, from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). See the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news release or view the data specifically for South Dakota's MSAs.

August 2018 data for the metro areas will be released Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Historical data back to 1990 for all metro areas nationwide is available to download in a .txt file from BLS website.

Release Dates

Find out when the next data release from LMIC will be.