Dec. 9, 2024

The unemployment rate in the Sioux Falls metro area rose to 1.5 percent in October from 1.4 percent in September but was still the lowest in the nation.

Sioux Falls has had the lowest rate of the 389 metropolitan areas since July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before that, it was tied for No. 1 for three months.

Rapid City again had the second-lowest rate in the country at 1.6 percent in October. The metro area with the highest rate was El Centro, California, at 19.6 percent, up almost one-half of a percentage point from the previous month.

For the Sioux Falls metro area, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties, the 1.5 percent rate represents 2,427 unemployed people, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation. In September, the number of unemployed was 2,279.

The jobless rate, which is not seasonally adjusted and is preliminary, represents residents who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. It also includes those who have been laid off temporarily.

The total labor force for the Sioux Falls MSA, those who are employed and unemployed, was 166,533 in October, an increase from 165,354 the previous month.

A year ago, the metro area jobless rate was 1.8 percent, with 3,017 people who were unemployed out of a labor force of 165,515.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 17,170 people in the metro area, up from 15,545 in September. That includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The number of job openings in the Sioux Falls MSA climbed to 14,848 in October, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system. There were 12,367 open positions the previous month. A year ago, there were 13,982 openings.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls MSA rose by 400 people to 173,800 from September to October. The category of government saw the biggest percentage increase at 1.8 percent, a gain of 300 jobs.

The biggest decline was financial activities, down 2.2 percent, or 300 jobs. The only other sector to see a decrease was leisure and hospitality, down 1.7 percent, or 300 jobs.

Compared with a year ago, overall nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels were up by 200 workers in the MSA.

South Dakota’s unemployment rate was 1.9 percent in October, down from 2 percent in September, and once again the lowest rate in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The next-lowest rates were Vermont at 2.3 percent and North Dakota at 2.4 percent – each slightly higher than September’s rate. The District of Columbia and Nevada had the highest jobless rates at 5.7 percent.

The state’s jobless rate, which is seasonally adjusted, represents 9,200 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work, along with those laid off temporarily, according to the state Labor Department. A year ago, the rate was 2.1 percent, and there were 10,000 unemployed South Dakotans.

In October, South Dakota’s labor force rose by 1,100 people to 485,100 from the previous month. A year ago, it was 481,800.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 45,585 people. That’s down from 48,610 in September and includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent in October. A year ago, the rate was 3.8 percent.