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News Release Information

25-1270-CHI
Thursday, August 14, 2025

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

Business Employment Dynamics in South Dakota — Fourth Quarter 2024

From September 2024 to December 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 25,412, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in South Dakota were 22,744, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 2,668 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 144. (See chart 1.)


The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 6.7 percent of private-sector employment in South Dakota; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In South Dakota, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 20,173 in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,648 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 5,239 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,468 jobs from the previous quarter.


Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment in South Dakota; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In South Dakota, contracting establishments lost 18,905 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 440 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 3,839 jobs, an increase of 152 jobs from the previous quarter.


Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 3 of the 7 published industry sectors in South Dakota in the fourth quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,787 jobs. This was the result of 6,640 gross job gains and 4,853 gross job losses. The construction industry had a net gain of 676 jobs. Professional and business services showed a net loss of 445 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. South Dakota’s retail trade industry sector had a net loss of 370 jobs, and financial activities had a net loss of 308 jobs.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2025 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 29, 2025, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.


Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, South Dakota, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains and losses
(3 months ended)
Gross job gains and losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Dec.
2023
Mar.
2024
June
2024
Sept.
2024
Dec.
2024
Dec.
2023
Mar.
2024
June
2024
Sept.
2024
Dec.
2024

Total private (1)

Gross job gains

25,014 24,201 22,857 22,296 25,412 6.6 6.3 6.0 5.9 6.7

At expanding establishments

20,358 19,417 18,981 18,525 20,173 5.4 5.1 5.0 4.9 5.3

At opening establishments

4,656 4,784 3,876 3,771 5,239 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.4

Gross job losses

22,271 22,300 24,131 22,152 22,744 5.8 5.8 6.3 5.9 5.9

At contracting establishments

18,376 18,808 20,793 18,465 18,905 4.8 4.9 5.4 4.9 4.9

At closing establishments

3,895 3,492 3,338 3,687 3,839 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0

Net employment change (2)

2,743 1,901 -1,274 144 2,668 0.8 0.5 -0.3 0.0 0.8

Construction

Gross job gains

3,122 3,700 2,687 3,159 3,464 10.9 12.2 9.2 11.1 11.7

At expanding establishments

2,466 2,855 2,198 2,584 2,803 8.6 9.4 7.5 9.1 9.5

At opening establishments

656 845 489 575 661 2.3 2.8 1.7 2.0 2.2

Gross job losses

2,634 2,885 3,929 2,703 2,788 9.1 9.6 13.4 9.6 9.5

At contracting establishments

2,143 2,439 3,318 2,176 2,284 7.4 8.1 11.3 7.7 7.8

At closing establishments

491 446 611 527 504 1.7 1.5 2.1 1.9 1.7

Net employment change (2)

488 815 -1,242 456 676 1.8 2.6 -4.2 1.5 2.2

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains

1,156 1,061 1,030 855 889 5.1 4.7 4.6 3.8 4.0

At expanding establishments

944 872 872 744 741 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.3 3.3

At opening establishments

212 189 158 111 148 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.7

Gross job losses

859 1,040 983 1,028 932 3.9 4.6 4.4 4.6 4.1

At contracting establishments

734 836 847 894 746 3.3 3.7 3.8 4.0 3.3

At closing establishments

125 204 136 134 186 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.8

Net employment change (2)

297 21 47 -173 -43 1.2 0.1 0.2 -0.8 -0.1

Retail trade

Gross job gains

2,944 3,117 3,001 3,031 2,702 5.5 5.8 5.5 5.6 5.0

At expanding establishments

2,666 2,695 2,675 2,661 2,417 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.5

At opening establishments

278 422 326 370 285 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.5

Gross job losses

3,127 2,738 2,740 2,849 3,072 5.8 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.7

At contracting establishments

2,849 2,508 2,449 2,519 2,799 5.3 4.7 4.5 4.6 5.2

At closing establishments

278 230 291 330 273 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.5

Net employment change (2)

-183 379 261 182 -370 -0.3 0.7 0.5 0.4 -0.7

Financial activities

Gross job gains

1,039 1,083 1,152 976 940 3.8 4.0 4.2 3.6 3.5

At expanding establishments

791 806 907 803 670 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.0 2.5

At opening establishments

248 277 245 173 270 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.6 1.0

Gross job losses

1,208 1,254 979 1,145 1,248 4.4 4.7 3.7 4.2 4.6

At contracting establishments

870 964 828 946 1,006 3.2 3.6 3.1 3.5 3.7

At closing establishments

338 290 151 199 242 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.7 0.9

Net employment change (2)

-169 -171 173 -169 -308 -0.6 -0.7 0.5 -0.6 -1.1

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

2,608 2,882 3,084 2,834 2,845 7.0 7.8 8.3 7.6 7.6

At expanding establishments

1,774 2,040 2,351 2,052 2,084 4.8 5.5 6.3 5.5 5.6

At opening establishments

834 842 733 782 761 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.1 2.0

Gross job losses

3,271 2,729 2,784 2,781 3,290 8.8 7.4 7.5 7.4 8.8

At contracting establishments

2,407 2,103 2,192 2,092 2,445 6.5 5.7 5.9 5.6 6.5

At closing establishments

864 626 592 689 845 2.3 1.7 1.6 1.8 2.3

Net employment change (2)

-663 153 300 53 -445 -1.8 0.4 0.8 0.2 -1.2

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

5,756 5,865 5,038 5,117 6,640 11.6 11.5 10.0 10.4 13.1

At expanding establishments

4,576 4,532 4,016 4,092 4,819 9.2 8.9 8.0 8.3 9.5

At opening establishments

1,180 1,333 1,022 1,025 1,821 2.4 2.6 2.0 2.1 3.6

Gross job losses

4,912 5,296 5,912 5,192 4,853 9.9 10.4 11.8 10.5 9.6

At contracting establishments

4,067 4,280 5,205 4,253 4,066 8.2 8.4 10.4 8.6 8.0

At closing establishments

845 1,016 707 939 787 1.7 2.0 1.4 1.9 1.6

Net employment change (2)

844 569 -874 -75 1,787 1.7 1.1 -1.8 -0.1 3.5

Other services (3)

Gross job gains

979 1,026 1,000 897 909 7.6 7.9 7.6 6.8 7.0

At expanding establishments

810 807 812 748 727 6.3 6.2 6.2 5.7 5.6

At opening establishments

169 219 188 149 182 1.3 1.7 1.4 1.1 1.4

Gross job losses

785 861 885 1,012 877 6.1 6.6 6.8 7.8 6.7

At contracting establishments

642 733 679 820 721 5.0 5.6 5.2 6.3 5.5

At closing establishments

143 128 206 192 156 1.1 1.0 1.6 1.5 1.2

Net employment change (2)

194 165 115 -115 32 1.5 1.3 0.8 -1.0 0.3

Footnotes:
(1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately.
(2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information.
(3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Dec.
2023
Mar.
2024
June
2024
Sept.
2024
Dec.
2024
Dec.
2023
Mar.
2024
June
2024
Sept.
2024
Dec.
2024

United States(1)

6.0 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.4 5.9 5.8 5.7

Alabama

6.2 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.9 5.3

Alaska

10.2 10.5 10.2 7.9 10.3 9.9 8.6 9.6 9.7 9.6

Arizona

6.5 8.4 5.6 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.4 6.8 6.5 6.0

Arkansas

6.2 5.6 5.2 5.2 5.8 5.0 5.2 5.8 5.2 4.8

California

6.4 5.8 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.4 5.6 6.8 6.1 6.4

Colorado

8.2 6.4 6.5 6.3 6.1 7.6 7.7 6.2 6.7 6.7

Connecticut

5.6 5.6 5.8 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.2 5.6 5.7 5.6

Delaware

6.1 6.0 5.9 6.8 6.1 5.8 5.1 6.5 6.4 6.4

District of Columbia

5.2 5.1 5.1 4.9 5.0 5.6 4.9 6.0 5.0 5.5

Florida

6.1 5.8 6.0 6.6 6.0 5.9 5.4 5.9 5.7 6.2

Georgia

6.2 6.0 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.7 6.1 5.4

Hawaii

6.1 5.4 5.1 5.6 5.3 5.0 5.1 5.4 5.0 4.9

Idaho

8.5 7.9 7.5 7.2 8.2 5.8 8.3 7.4 7.6 6.8

Illinois

5.0 5.1 5.2 5.0 5.1 5.1 4.8 5.3 5.1 5.2

Indiana

5.5 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.1 5.0 5.5 5.4 5.2

Iowa

6.1 6.1 5.5 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.6 5.7 6.0 5.6

Kansas

5.8 5.7 5.8 5.3 5.9 5.3 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.2

Kentucky

5.7 5.7 5.2 5.4 5.3 5.2 5.0 5.9 5.5 5.5

Louisiana

6.3 6.2 5.7 6.1 6.2 5.8 5.7 6.3 5.8 5.4

Maine

7.4 7.2 7.3 6.2 6.7 7.0 6.1 7.0 7.0 7.0

Maryland

6.2 5.8 7.2 6.1 6.0 5.8 5.7 6.5 6.1 5.9

Massachusetts

5.5 5.2 5.7 4.9 5.3 5.5 5.1 5.6 5.8 5.6

Michigan

5.5 5.4 5.7 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.2 5.6 5.8 6.0

Minnesota

6.9 5.8 5.7 5.1 5.5 6.9 5.7 5.4 5.9 5.1

Mississippi

6.1 5.7 5.8 6.1 6.3 5.7 6.1 6.3 5.7 6.4

Missouri

6.0 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.7 5.6 5.3 5.8 5.8 5.3

Montana

8.8 8.1 7.9 7.3 8.4 7.2 7.5 7.6 8.1 7.8

Nebraska

5.9 5.8 5.4 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.1 5.6 5.6 5.5

Nevada

6.7 5.9 5.8 6.1 6.2 5.4 6.2 5.7 5.9 5.8

New Hampshire

6.2 6.5 6.1 5.5 6.3 5.9 5.8 6.0 6.7 5.9

New Jersey

5.9 5.5 5.9 5.3 6.0 5.8 5.4 5.4 5.8 5.3

New Mexico

6.9 6.0 6.0 6.2 5.8 5.8 6.0 6.3 6.3 5.9

New York

5.7 5.9 5.9 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.0 5.5 5.7 5.5

North Carolina

6.3 5.4 5.6 5.6 6.1 4.9 5.5 5.7 6.1 5.5

North Dakota

6.7 6.9 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.6 6.7

Ohio

5.4 5.5 5.2 5.1 5.4 5.2 4.8 5.4 5.4 5.1

Oklahoma

6.1 5.6 5.6 6.0 5.9 5.8 5.2 6.4 5.6 5.4

Oregon

6.2 6.4 6.0 6.3 6.2 6.2 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.8

Pennsylvania

5.2 5.1 4.9 5.1 5.2 4.8 4.6 5.1 5.1 4.8

Rhode Island

6.8 6.9 6.6 6.2 7.2 6.3 5.7 6.7 6.5 6.3

South Carolina

6.2 6.4 5.9 6.2 6.5 5.3 6.3 6.4 5.9 6.0

South Dakota

6.6 6.3 6.0 5.9 6.7 5.8 5.8 6.3 5.9 5.9

Tennessee

6.2 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.5 4.9 5.7 5.8 5.0

Texas

5.7 5.4 5.4 5.6 5.8 5.2 5.1 5.3 5.3 5.1

Utah

6.6 6.7 6.4 6.6 6.6 6.5 6.0 6.6 6.1 6.2

Vermont

7.3 7.2 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.6 6.3 7.5 7.3 6.8

Virginia

5.9 5.7 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.5 5.2 5.6 5.5 5.5

Washington

6.0 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.3

West Virginia

6.5 6.9 6.6 5.8 6.4 5.8 5.7 6.8 6.6 6.1

Wisconsin

5.5 5.5 5.3 5.0 5.3 5.2 4.8 5.5 5.4 5.0

Wyoming

8.9 8.4 8.2 8.6 8.8 8.4 8.3 9.0 9.0 8.4

Puerto Rico

4.9 5.4 5.6 5.4 4.4 4.8 4.6 4.9 5.1 5.5

Virgin Islands

6.0 5.6 4.3 4.4 4.0 5.9 4.5 5.1 6.1 12.6

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025