South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin

August 2024

Math class: Just for fun back to school statistics

As students of all ages, teachers, administrators, and support staff head back to school for another year, we wanted to share a few related workforce statistics.

Counting Students

More than 220,000 South Dakota students will be returning to school this fall, across the age spectrum from nursery and preschool to graduate level postsecondary programs. Nearly 13,000 of them are in nursery school or preschool, about 11,500 are in kindergarten, and nearly 50,000 are in high school.

Source: American Community Survey 2022 estimates, U.S. Census Bureau.

Back to School Shopping

South Dakota families equipping their students with the needed gear for the new school have lots of options.

For heading back to school in style, there are 261 Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers with 2,007 employees ready to help.
Even though most of today's students probably don't have to walk to school (uphill both ways and in the snow) like older generations claim they had to, the state's 50 Shoe Retailers and their 352 employees are ready to help.
For those more into one-stop shopping for back to school needs, South Dakota has 29 Department Stores; they employ 1,951 workers.
If those school supply lists don't get completely checked off there, back-to-school shoppers may want to check one of the state's 29 Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers, asking for help as needed of their 229 employees.
For those studious "by (buy) the book" students, the state's nine Book Retailers and News Dealers and their 80 staff are ready to help.

Source: 2023 annual averages from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program, Labor Market Information Center.

It Pays to Stay in School

South Dakota median earnings data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate it pays to stay in school. Those with a high school diploma or equivalent earn 26% more than those with less education. And the earnings gap increases the more education individuals complete. Compared to the earnings of those who didn't complete high school, those with some college or an associate degree earn nearly 50 percent more. Those with a bachelor's degree earn more than 70% more, and those with a graduate or professional degree earn nearly 123% more.

South Dakota Median Earnings by Educational Attainment
Total, all educational levels	$45,902
Less than high school graduate	$30,523
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$38,669
Some college or associate degree	$45,237
Bachelor's degree	$52,325
Graduate or professional degree	$67,981
Source: 2022 data from the American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.

South Dakotans Know the Value of Education

South Dakotans are well educated, as shown in the pie chart below.

Working in Education

As an "industry," education in general contributes many jobs to South Dakota's economy. Here's a quick look at the different levels of education and the number of workers in each:

Based on 2023 annual averages, public school districts at the local level employ more than 27,000 workers.
State government education contributes another 9,000 jobs to the economy. Think public university educators and administrative staff, the state schools for the blind and hearing impaired, etc.
Another 7,500 South Dakotans are employed in private schools (Private Educational Services industry sector)
Combined, these educational institutions employ 43,700 workers and account for nearly 10% of all nonfarm wage and salaried jobs in the state.

Source: 2023 annual averages from the Nonfarm Wage and Salaried Workers program based on the Current Employment Statistics survey, Labor Market Information Center.

Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary