Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

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Labor Market Information Center

September South Dakota statewide data just released

Please note: The following data release includes September 2019 seasonally adjusted statewide labor force and both seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted statewide nonfarm data. The full release of September 2019 labor force and not seasonally adjusted nonfarm wage and salaried worker data for all areas will be Oct. 25, 2019, with the publication of the October 2019 South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin. September 2019 not seasonally adjusted data will also be available in the virtual Labor Market System at that time. The release of September 2019 seasonally adjusted labor force data for the two Metropolitan Statistical Areas is scheduled for Oct. 30, 2019.

Labor Force

Preliminary estimates show South Dakota's unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 percent to 3.0 percent in September 2019. The labor force increased over the month by 900 workers (0.2 percent) to 468,000 workers. The level of unemployed increased by 200 workers (1.4 percent) to 14,000 workers.

Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force
  September 2019   August 2019
Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate
United States 164,039,000 158,269,000 5,769,000 3.5% 163,922,000 157,878,000 6,044,000 3.7%
South Dakota 468,000 454,000 14,000 3.0% 467,100 453,400 13,800 2.9%

South Dakota's September 2019 labor force of 468,000 increased compared to the September 2018 level of 460,300. The level of employed increased by 7,300 (1.6 percent); the level of unemployed increased by 400 persons (2.9 percent). The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percent to 3.0 percent.

Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force
  September 2019   September 2018
Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate
United States 164,039,000 158,269,000 5,769,000 3.5% 162,055,000 156,069,000 5,986,000 3.7%
South Dakota 468,000 454,000 14,000 3.0% 460,300 446,700 13,600 2.9%

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 September 2019 nonfarm worker data is preliminary and subject to revision.

The September 2019 nonfarm worker data is preliminary and subject to revision. Over the month, the seasonally adjusted worker level increased by 1,700 workers (0.4 percent) to 447,900 workers. This growth is a result of gains in Construction; Manufacturing; Wholesale Trade; Retail Trade; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities; Information; Leisure and Hospitality; Other Services (except Public Administration); and Government.

Over the year, the seasonally adjusted nonfarm worker level increased by 8,000 workers (1.8 percent). The top five contributors to this growth were in Wholesale Trade (1,900 workers or 9.0 percent); Manufacturing (1,500 workers or 3.3 percent); Education and Health Services (1,100 workers or 1.5 percent); Construction (900 workers or 3.9 percent) and Retail Trade (900 workers or 1.7 percent).

South Dakota
(Seasonally Adjusted)
  % Change From
  September*
2019		 August
2019		 September
2018 		Last
Month		 Last
Year
Total Nonfarm 447,900 446,200 439,900 0.4 1.8
 Mining, Logging and Construction 24,900 24,800 24,000 0.4 3.8
   Mining and Logging 1,000 1,000 1,000 0.0 0.0
   Construction 23,900 23,800 23,000 0.4 3.9
 Manufacturing 46,300 45,900 44,800 0.9 3.3
 Trade, Transportation and Utilities 89,600 89,200 86,600 0.4 3.5
   Wholesale Trade 23,000 22,900 21,100 0.4 9.0
   Retail Trade 52,900 52,700 52,000 0.4 1.7
   Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities 13,700 13,600 13,500 0.7 1.5
 Information 5,600 5,500 5,500 1.8 1.8
 Financial Activities 28,900 28,900 29,100 0.0 -0.7
 Professional and Business Services 33,600 33,600 32,900 0.0 2.1
 Education and Health Services 74,100 74,300 73,000 -0.3 1.5
   Educational Services  7,300 7,400 7,400 -1.4 -1.4
   Health Care and Social Assistance 66,800 66,900 65,600 -0.1 1.8
 Leisure and Hospitality 47,500 47,200 47,300 0.6 0.4
 Other Services (except Public Administration) 17,300 17,000 16,900 1.8 2.4
Government 80,100 79,800 79,800 0.4 0.4
  Federal Government 11,000 11,100 11,300 -0.9 -2.7
  State Government 18,400 18,200 18,400 1.1 0.0
  Local Government 50,700 50,500 50,100 0.4 1.2

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.

Over the month, the not seasonally adjusted nonfarm wage and salaried worker level decreased by 2,800 workers (0.6 percent) from August 2019 to September 2019. Leisure and Hospitality had the largest drop over the year with a loss of 5,400 workers (9.8 percent). Historically, worker levels in the Leisure and Hospitality peak in the summer and decline when temperatures fall.

Over the year, the not seasonally adjusted worker level increased by 8,200 workers (1.8 percent). South Dakota nonfarm worker level has been on an upward trend since 2010. This growth is due to larger gains in Wholesale Trade; Manufacturing; Education and Health Services; Construction; and Professional and Business Services.

South Dakota
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)
    % Change From
September*
2019		 August
2019		 September
2018 		Last
Month		 Last
Year
Total Nonfarm 451,600 454,400 443,400 -0.6 1.8
 Mining, Logging and Construction 26,500 26,900 25,600 -1.5 3.5
  Mining and Logging 1,100 1,100 1,100 0.0 0.0
  Construction 25,400 25,800 24,500 -1.6 3.7
   Construction of Buildings 6,300 6,500 6,200 -3.1 1.6
   Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 4,100 4,200 4,100 -2.4 0.0
   Specialty Trade Contractors 15,000 15,100 14,200 -0.7 5.6
 Manufacturing 46,500 46,100 44,800 0.9 3.8
   Durable Goods 29,700 29,700 28,900 0.0 2.8
   Non-Durable Goods 16,800 16,400 15,900 2.4 5.7
 Trade, Transportation and Utilities 89,100 90,600 86,400 -1.7 3.1
   Wholesale Trade 22,900 23,100 20,900 -0.9 9.6
   Retail Trade 52,300 53,600 51,900 -2.4 0.8
   Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities 13,900 13,900 13,600 0.0 2.2
 Information 5,500 5,600 5,500 -1.8 0.0
 Financial Activities 28,800 29,000 29,100 -0.7 -1.0
 Professional and Business Services 33,600 34,300 32,800 -2.0 2.4
 Education and Health Services 73,900 73,900 72,800 0.0 1.5
   Educational Services  7,500 6,500 7,400 15.4 1.4
   Health Care and Social Assistance 66,400 67,400 65,400 -1.5 1.5
     Hospitals 26,100 26,100 25,500 0.0 2.4
 Leisure and Hospitality 49,600 55,000 49,200 -9.8 0.8
 Other Services (except Public Administration) 17,300 17,200 16,800 0.6 3.0
Government 80,800 75,800 80,400 6.6 0.5
  Federal Government 11,200 11,200 11,400 0.0 -1.8
  State Government 19,000 16,800 19,000 13.1 0.0
     State Government Educational Services 9,600 7,400 10,100 29.7 -5.0
  Local Government 50,600 47,800 50,000 5.9 1.2
     Local Government Educational Services 26,400 21,400 26,200 23.4 0.8

*Note: All September 2019 data in the tables and narrative above is preliminary and subject to revision.

A more comprehensive overview of the labor market in September 2019, including substate labor force and nonfarm industry data, will be available Oct. 25, 2019 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.