Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

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Fun Facts

Thankful for Statistics

First Thanksgiving in 1621On Nov. 28, we’ll celebrate the 156th official Thanksgiving in the United States. It was 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday as a national day for giving thanks. But it’s been nearly 400 years since the pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving. Those early settlers of Plymouth Colony held a three-day feast in the fall of 1621 to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

Years later, in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified Thanksgiving Day should always be celebrated on the fourth (not last) Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping. (What do you suppose FDR would think of holiday merchandise appearing in today’s stores as early as July?)

Let’s Talk Turkey

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), there were about 240 million turkeys raised in the nation during 2019. Although South Dakota didn’t make the list of the top six turkey-producing states (which account for 67% of all turkey production), South Dakota does contribute to the holiday bird supply. South Dakota raised 4.4 million turkeys in 2019, up from 4.25 million in 2018. Neighboring Minnesota produced the most turkeys in 2019, at 40 million.

And South Dakotans do rank high in the production of food for the seasonally featured fowl. The South Dakota Poultries Industry Association says South Dakota turkeys eat an average of 51,000 tons of soybean meal per year. In its lifetime, a turkey will consume about one bushel of corn and 1/3 bushel of soybeans. According to a 2018 NASS crop production report, South Dakota ranked eighth nationally in soybean production, at nearly 256.7 million bushels. And corn was king for South Dakota in 2018, leading all other crop production in terms of dollar value. South Dakota produced 777.6 million bushels of corn, with a value of nearly $2.6 billion. This ranked our state sixth nationally in production of corn as a grain crop.

According to data from our Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program, there are 15 business establishments engaged in poultry and egg production which are covered by Reemployment Assistance in South Dakota. They employ 1,419 workers.

All Things Thanksgiving

As we feast on turkey and all the trimmings this year, we can give thanks for even more South Dakota economic perks related to the holiday. Here are some impressive numbers on other businesses many of us count on in one way or another for our Thanksgiving celebration.

Have you made your list and checked it twice? No, we’re not jumping ahead to Christmas; we’re talking about the grocery list for the feast. South Dakota has 194 supermarkets and other grocery stores; they employ 8,080 people. (This doesn’t even include specialty food stores.)

Need a new oven to roast this year’s turkey? South Dakota has 44 household appliance stores to choose from; they employ 345 workers.

Dreaming of watching post-feast football on a larger TV screen this year? Visit one of South Dakota’s 108 Radio, TV & Other Electronic Stores. They are the workplace for nearly 1,000 South Dakotans.

Foregoing the cooking and clean-up this year? You’ll need to check their Thanksgiving hours, but you could potentially choose from South Dakota’s 1,428 full-service or fast food restaurants. Those food service establishments employ nearly 27,000 people.

If you’re going over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, you’d better fill up the tank on the way at one of the state’s 589 gas stations. Feel good about it, knowing you’ll be contributing to the payroll of these establishments’ 6,650 workers.

Is grandmother’s too long of a journey to drive? Take to the air, using one of South Dakota’s 27 establishments providing air transportation. They employ 251 people.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving from the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.