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Which counties in South Dakota have the lowest unemployment?

Brule County (1.4%), Hyde County (1.4%) and Faulk County (1.6%) had the lowest unemployment in South Dakota in 2025.

Data as of 2025 · updated

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All 65 ranked South Dakota counties

South Dakota counties ranked by lowest unemployment rate
RankCountyRate 2025Change since 2019Residents
1Brule County1.4%−0.8 pts5,278
2Hyde County1.4%−1.3 pts1,191
3Faulk County1.6%−1.0 pts2,178
4Harding County1.6%−0.6 pts1,331
5Stanley County1.6%−1.0 pts3,018
6Tripp County1.6%−0.9 pts5,708
7Aurora County1.7%−0.6 pts2,801
8Haakon County1.7%−1.2 pts1,802
9Hand County1.7%−0.6 pts3,121
10Hughes County1.7%−0.7 pts17,570
11Jerauld County1.7%−1.0 pts1,654
12Sanborn County1.7%−0.4 pts2,388
13Sully County1.7%−0.6 pts1,479
14Davison County1.8%−0.6 pts20,069
15Hamlin County1.8%−1.1 pts6,900
16Lake County1.8%−1.0 pts10,993
17Lincoln County1.8%−0.4 pts77,145
18Perkins County1.8%−0.5 pts2,853
19Butte County1.9%−0.8 pts10,856
20Douglas County1.9%−0.7 pts2,888
21Hutchinson County1.9%−0.5 pts7,413
22Lawrence County1.9%−0.6 pts29,459
23McCook County1.9%−0.6 pts5,964
24Yankton County1.9%−0.5 pts23,635
25Beadle County2.0%−0.7 pts19,624
26Codington County2.0%−0.6 pts29,562
27Edmunds County2.0%−0.8 pts4,022
28Gregory County2.0%−0.9 pts4,037
29Meade County2.0%−0.8 pts30,711
30Minnehaha County2.0%−0.4 pts212,691
31Pennington County2.0%−0.8 pts116,792
32Turner County2.0%−0.6 pts9,314
33Bon Homme County2.1%−0.7 pts7,244
34Brookings County2.1%−0.5 pts37,635
35Brown County2.1%−0.4 pts37,561
36Charles Mix County2.1%−0.9 pts9,303
37Clay County2.1%−0.5 pts15,031
38Union County2.1%−0.7 pts17,402
39Clark County2.2%−1.5 pts4,031
40Potter County2.2%−0.4 pts2,377
41Spink County2.2%−0.6 pts6,155
42Kingsbury County2.3%−0.5 pts5,284
43Lyman County2.3%−1.6 pts3,694
44McPherson County2.3%−0.8 pts2,347
45Miner County2.3%−0.6 pts2,281
46Custer County2.4%−1.1 pts9,431
47Day County2.4%−1.4 pts5,484
48Hanson County2.4%−1.5 pts3,456
49Marshall County2.4%−0.4 pts4,426
50Moody County2.4%−1.2 pts6,632
51Deuel County2.5%−1.2 pts4,408
52Bennett County2.6%−1.1 pts3,307
53Fall River County2.7%−0.6 pts7,467
54Walworth County2.8%−1.1 pts5,217
55Ziebach County2.9%−1.4 pts2,389
56Mellette County3.0%−1.5 pts2,137
57Grant County3.2%+0.2 pts7,534
58Jackson County3.3%−2.6 pts2,666
59Roberts County3.5%+0.0 pts10,255
60Campbell County3.6%+0.4 pts1,377
61Corson County4.1%−1.3 pts3,781
62Buffalo County4.4%−1.5 pts1,802
63Dewey County5.1%−1.9 pts5,419
64Oglala Lakota County5.2%−2.2 pts13,338
65Todd County5.6%−1.3 pts8,863

1 of 66 South Dakota counties are not ranked on this measure.

How this is ranked

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

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Questions

Which county in South Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate?

Brule County: 1.4%, ahead of Hyde County (1.4%) and Faulk County (1.6%), of 65 South Dakota counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

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