Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

19-2060-CHI
Friday, December 20, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

County Employment and Wages in South Dakota — Second Quarter 2019

South Dakota’s only large county, Minnehaha, reported employment growth of 1.2 percent from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2018.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that in June 2019, Minnehaha County’s employment level of 130,100 accounted for 29.4 percent of total employment within the state. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment rose 1.1 percent from June 2018 to June 2019, as 279 of the 355 largest U.S. counties gained jobs. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.4 percent of total U.S. employment, which stood at 149.1 million in June 2019.

The average weekly wage in Minnehaha County was $935 in the second quarter of 2019, up 4.4 percent from the previous year. Nationally, the average weekly wage rose 3.8 percent over the year to $1,095 in the second quarter of 2019.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 65 counties in South Dakota with employment below 75,000. All 65 of these smaller counties had average weekly wages below the national average in June 2019. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Minnehaha County’s 4.4-percent wage growth from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019 ranked 79th nationally. (See table 1.) Among the 355 largest U.S. counties, 347 had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages in the second quarter of 2019. Benton, AR, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 16.3 percent.

Eight of the 355 largest U.S. counties experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. McLean, IL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a loss of 5.8 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

Minnehaha County’s $935 average weekly wage ranked 226th among the 355 large U.S. counties in the second quarter of 2019. Nationwide, weekly wages were higher than the U.S. average of $1,095 in 93 of the largest U.S. counties. Santa Clara, CA, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $2,612. San Francisco, CA, was second at $2,430, followed by San Mateo, CA ($2,373), and New York, NY ($2,109).

Nationwide, 260 large U.S. counties reported average weekly wages below the national average. Horry, SC ($649) reported the lowest weekly wage, followed by the Texas counties of Hidalgo ($657), Cameron ($659), and Webb ($697).

Average weekly wages in South Dakota’s smaller counties

All 65 counties in South Dakota with employment below 75,000 had average weekly wages lower than the national average of $1,095. Among these smaller counties, Union County had the highest average weekly wage at $999, and Mellette County had the lowest at $501. (See table 2.)

When all 66 counties in South Dakota were considered, 4 reported average weekly wages of $599 or lower, 12 had wages from $600 to $649, 12 reported wages from $650 to $699, 12 reported wages from $700 to $749, and 26 had wages of $750 or higher. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2018 edition of this publication, which was published in September 2019, contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from the 2018 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Averages are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm. The 2019 edition of Employment and Wages Annual Online will be available in September 2020.

The County Employment and Wages release for third quarter 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 20, 2020. The County Employment and Wages full data update for third quarter 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.


Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. 13, the number of weeks in a quarter, then divide the result. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level. Data for all states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), counties, and the nation are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/cew; however, data in QCEW press releases have been revised and may not match the data contained on the Bureau’s Web site.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the largest county in South Dakota, second quarter 2019
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2019 (thousands)Percent change, June 2018-19 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, second quarter 2018-19 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

149,089.21.1--$1,095--3.8--

South Dakota

441.80.4--838493.816

Minnehaha, S.D.

130.11.21409352264.479

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in South Dakota, second quarter 2019
AreaEmployment June 2019Average weekly wage(1)

United States(2)

149,089,158$1,095

South Dakota

441,808838

Aurora

997605

Beadle

9,033773

Bennett

834676

Bon Homme

1,835646

Brookings

18,783838

Brown

20,868825

Brule

1,955650

Buffalo

498813

Butte

2,900633

Campbell

448654

Charles Mix

3,477670

Clark

1,137646

Clay

6,154742

Codington

16,432753

Corson

792763

Custer

3,016608

Davison

12,441781

Day

2,008625

Deuel

1,453770

Dewey

2,251766

Douglas

1,132664

Edmunds

1,226757

Fall River

2,624738

Faulk

643626

Grant

3,988783

Gregory

1,554622

Haakon

780793

Hamlin

2,231764

Hand

1,416643

Hanson

641728

Harding

506784

Hughes

11,030864

Hutchinson

2,711728

Hyde

558783

Jackson

844583

Jerauld

1,507678

Jones

464572

Kingsbury

1,815710

Lake

5,120815

Lawrence

12,457704

Lincoln

24,424949

Lyman

1,467581

Marshall

1,712747

McCook

1,388664

McPherson

579614

Meade

7,570811

Mellette

330501

Miner

761641

Minnehaha

130,142935

Moody

2,818747

Oglala Lakota

3,628817

Pennington

59,842805

Perkins

1,156625

Potter

838699

Roberts

3,714702

Sanborn

582654

Spink

2,469709

Stanley

1,273750

Sully

742920

Todd

2,938708

Tripp

2,325653

Turner

2,151694

Union

10,278999

Walworth

2,138679

Yankton

13,256816

Ziebach

289739

Footnotes
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Data are preliminary.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, second quarter 2019
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
June 2019 (thousands)Percent change, June 2018-19Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, second quarter 2018-19National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

149,089.21.1$1,095--3.8--

Alabama

1,993.71.1911363.428

Alaska

338.90.71,078153.626

Arizona

2,843.32.61,010233.816

Arkansas

1,222.50.6862474.64

California

17,717.41.51,32544.73

Colorado

2,765.72.21,12894.92

Connecticut

1,690.8-0.81,26663.911

Delaware

458.00.81,057173.428

District of Columbia

780.40.51,77813.816

Florida

8,722.91.8968263.911

Georgia

4,507.11.71,016223.911

Hawaii

652.2-1.2992243.722

Idaho

765.12.6820503.333

Illinois

6,074.70.31,122102.447

Indiana

3,089.80.5910383.139

Iowa

1,584.70.1902402.545

Kansas

1,403.00.6905392.842

Kentucky

1,909.70.3911363.333

Louisiana

1,920.2-0.2923352.447

Maine

639.60.4874453.722

Maryland

2,733.60.71,17883.333

Massachusetts

3,690.10.91,37724.35

Michigan

4,419.70.11,018212.447

Minnesota

2,952.60.81,101132.644

Mississippi

1,135.90.4767512.051

Missouri

2,836.70.3948302.545

Montana

483.11.0843483.333

Nebraska

991.50.1889423.527

Nevada

1,408.82.6961293.238

New Hampshire

676.10.81,090144.010

New Jersey

4,182.50.71,23673.041

New Mexico

834.01.0888444.35

New York

9,682.81.01,34733.911

North Carolina

4,527.32.0970253.911

North Dakota

431.81.31,026204.17

Ohio

5,486.70.4965273.428

Oklahoma

1,618.50.5900413.139

Oregon

1,976.51.31,036183.816

Pennsylvania

5,972.10.81,070163.816

Rhode Island

494.50.71,034193.428

South Carolina

2,144.21.3867463.722

South Dakota

441.80.4838493.816

Tennessee

3,047.81.8964283.333

Texas

12,585.62.01,102123.816

Utah

1,526.13.0936324.17

Vermont

314.00.0929342.743

Virginia

3,981.61.01,113113.722

Washington

3,500.61.81,28855.91

West Virginia

700.4-0.6889422.447

Wisconsin

2,945.30.3940314.17

Wyoming

287.61.7932333.428

Puerto Rico

867.71.5531(3)-1.8(3)

Virgin Islands

37.010.0919(3)8.8(3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 20, 2019