Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

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Labor Market Information Center

2024 Annual Report

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages


Education and Health Services Supersector

The Education and Health Services supersector is comprised of the Education Services sector and the Health Services and Social Assistance sector. Businesses within this supersector provide instruction and training or provide health care and social assistance to individuals.


South Dakota Covered Workers and Pay
2024
Supersector, Sector and Subsector Number of Establishments Average Number of Workers Annual Pay
Education and Health Services 3,642 74,348 $65,629
  Educational Services 534 3,908 $35,971
    Educational Services 534 3,908 $35,971
  Health Care and Social Assistance 3,108 70,440 $67,274
   Ambulatory Health Care Services 1,908 20,118 $88,403
   Hospitals 68 28,694 $74,974
   Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 335 12,426 $40,462
   Social Assistance 797 9,203 $33,273
Totals may not add due to rounding.
Data subject to revision.
Produced by the Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Educational Services

NAICS Sector 61

In 2024, the private Educational Services sector lost 58 workers (1.5%). The employment level was 3,908. The annual wage increased $1,374 (4.0%) from 2023 to 2024 to a new average of $35,971.

The Educational Services sector is made up of establishments that provide instruction and training in a wide variety of subjects. This instruction and training is provided by specialized establishments, such as schools, colleges, universities, and training centers. Educational services are usually delivered by teachers or instructors that explain, tell, demonstrate, supervise, and direct learning. Instruction is imparted in diverse settings, such as educational institutions, the workplace, or the home and through diverse means, such as correspondence, television, the internet, or other electronic and distance learning methods.

The training provided by these establishments may include the use of simulators and simulation methods. It can be adapted to the needs of the students. For example, sign language can replace verbal language for students with hearing impairments. All industries in the sector share this commonality of process, namely labor inputs of instructors with the requisite subject matter expertise and teaching ability. These establishments may also offer food and accommodation services to their students.

Educational Services is comprised of only one subsector. Within the subsector are the following industry groups:

  • Elementary and Secondary Schools (NAICS 6111)
  • Junior Colleges (NAICS 6112)
  • Colleges and Universities (NAICS 6113)
  • Business, Computer, and Management Training (NAICS 6114)
  • Technical and Trade Schools (NAICS 6115)
  • Other Schools and Instruction (NAICS 6116)
  • Educational Support Services (NAICS 6117)

The only significant employment gain occurred in Elementary and Secondary Schools. The remaining industry groups saw either decreased employment levels or small employment gains in 2024.

Establishments in the Elementary and Secondary Schools industry group are primarily engaged in furnishing academic courses and associated course work that comprise a basic preparatory education. A basic preparatory education ordinarily constitutes kindergarten through high school.

The Educational Services sector is widely considered counter-cyclical. Typically, when the economy is doing well and unemployment is at a very low rate, more working adults decide to go to work. More career and job prospects available for working adults, in turn, leads to lower enrollment, decreased profit, and a lower need for teachers/instructors at schools.

Establishments in this sector are privately owned and operated for profit or not for profit. Publicly owned establishments, usually owned and operated by state and local governments, are not included in this analysis. Statistics for those types of establishments are analyzed under the Public Administration supersector. Roughly 11% of the employment in Education Services falls in privately owned establishments, with the rest being in publicly owned establishments.


Graph: Covered Worker Level Comparison for Educational Services, 2023-2024

Health Care and Social Assistance

NAICS Sector 62

The Health Care and Social Assistance sector grew once again in 2024. Both employment and wages increased from 2023. Compared to other sectors, this sector has the highest amount of employment and largest amount of total wages paid out in South Dakota.

The number of workers reached 70,440, growing 3.2% from 2023. Average annual wages increased $2,444 (3.2%) to $67,274. This sector includes both health care and social assistance, because sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of these two activities. The Health Care and Social Assistance sector is made up of four subsectors.

  • Ambulatory Health Care Services (NAICS 621)
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622)
  • Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (NAICS 623)
  • Social Assistance (NAICS 624)

The Ambulatory Health Care Services subsector’s employment grew 2.8% to 20,118 in 2024. The annual average wage was $88,403, which is the highest out of all four subsectors. Establishments provide health care services directly or indirectly to ambulatory patients and do not usually provide inpatient services. Employment gains were distributed evenly through most of the industry groups. The largest employment gains, percentage wise, were in Offices of Other Health Practitioners. Examples include Chiropractors, Optometrists, Mental Health Practitioners, Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists.

The Hospitals subsector is comprised of establishments providing medical, diagnostic, and treatment services including physicians, nursing, and other health services to inpatients and the specialized accommodation services required by inpatients. Hospitals may also provide outpatient services as a secondary activity. But primarily, these establishments provide inpatient health services which can only be provided using the specialized facilities and equipment that form a significant and integral part of the care plan.

Some of the largest establishments in South Dakota belong to the Hospitals subsector. The number of workers in 2024 increased by 2.3% to 28,694. This subsector’s average annual wage increased $3,757 (5.3%) to $74,974.

The Nursing and Residential Care Facilities subsector saw employment increase for the second year in a row. Worker levels grew 5.1% to 12,426. The annual average wage grew 4.7% to $40,462. This subsector’s establishments provide residential care combined with either nursing, supervisory, or other types of care as required by the residents. Examples of facilities included in this subsector are nursing homes which have a permanent core staff of nurses along with other staff to provide nursing and continuous personal care services. Assisted and unassisted continuing care retirement community facilities are also part of this industry. Some of the residents need some nursing and personal care while others need limited services because they do not desire to live independently, so nursing care is not as vital. Care typically includes room, board, supervision, and assistance in daily living, such as housekeeping services. Although the demand for this type of care is high in South Dakota, establishments struggle to find and keep workers in this subsector.

The Social Assistance subsector’s employment level increased by 395 workers (4.5%) to 9,203. Establishments provide a wide variety of social assistance services directly to clients. Employment growth can be attributed mostly to Individual and Family Services and Vocational Rehabilitation Services industries. The Vocational Rehabilitation Services industry group’s employment in 2024 almost surpassed it’s all time high set in 2015. Establishments perform services such as job counseling and job training to unemployed or underemployed persons. They also provide training and employment to persons with disabilities.


Line Graph: Covered Worker Level Comparison for Health Care and Social Assistance, 2023-2024

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