Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

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South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin

June 2026

Answers to the QCEW annual report quiz

Correct answers below are linked to the page of the annual report where the information can be found.

1. What was South Dakota’s total covered employment for 2025?
A. 397,800
B. 460,365
C. 520,300
D. 489,000
  Correct answer: B. 460,365
   
2. True or False: “covered” employment refers to those workers whose employers provide health insurance coverage.
  Correct answer: False. It refers to those workers covered by unemployment insurance.
   
3. By what percentage did employment grow from 2024 to 2025?
A. 1.4%
B. 0.4%
C. 6.9%
D. 3.1%
  Correct answer: B. 0.4%
   
4. What was the statewide average annual pay in 2025?
A. $58,307
B. $44,862
C. $60,577
D. $82,300
  Correct answer: C. $60,577
   
5. What was the over-the-year increase in average annual pay from 2024 to 2025?
A. 0.80%
B. 2.10%
C. 3.90%
D. 7.80%
  Correct answer: C. 3.9%
   
6. True or False: Only four supersectors lost jobs between 2024 and 2025.
  Correct answer: True
   
7. Which industry supersector had the most establishments statewide?
A.  Retail Trade
B.  Professional & Business Services
C.  Other Services
D. Construction
  Correct answer: B. Professional & Business Services with 9,250 establishments in 2025.
   
8. What industry sector within Retail Trade added the most workers during 2025?
A. General Merchandise Retailers
B. Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers 
C. Food Services and Drinking Places
D. Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
  Correct answer: A. General Merchandise Retailers, which added 355 workers from 2024 to 2025. Did you catch the trick answer option? Food Service and Drinking Places are not in Retail Trade, but rather in the Accommodation & Food Services subsector, within the Leisure & Hospitality Supersector.
   
9. What share of all establishments had fewer than 10 employees?
A. 36.20%
B. 70.10%
C. 92.30%
D. 80.50%
  Correct answer: D. 80.5%
   
10. Which South Dakota industry supersector had the most large establishments (those with 500+ workers?
A. Education and Health Services
B. Manufacturing
C. Construction
D. Information
 

Correct answer: Education and Health Services, with 14 establishments employing 500 or more workers.

   
11. How many counties saw worker growth in 2025?
A. 15
B. 25
C. 50
D. 66
  Correct answer: B. 25 counties
   
12. Which county had the highest percentage increase in average pay?
A.  Minnehaha
B.  Campbell
C.  Ziebach
D.  Todd
  Correct answer: D. Todd County at 10.4%
   
13. True or False: The Sioux Falls metro area accounted for more than one‑third of all Construction employment in South Dakot
  Correct answer: True (Bonus point if you also found the answer on this page.)
   
14. Which industry supersector in the Rapid City metro area had the most workers in 2025?
A.  Construction
B.  Professional and Business Services
C.  Trade, Transportation & Utilities
D.  Public Administration
 

Correct answer: C. Trade, Transportation & Utilities with 14,312 workers
   
15. True or False: The Rapid City metro area had more small (less than 10 workers each) Leisure and Hospitality establishments than the Sioux Falls metro area in 2025.  
  Correct answer: False (The Rapid City metro area had 403 small establishments in Leisure and Hospitality, while the Sioux Falls metro area had 457.)