July 2, 2025

The unemployment rate in the Sioux Falls metro area dipped to 1.7 percent in May from 1.8 percent in April.

Once again, it was the country’s lowest jobless rate for metro areas. Sioux Falls and Rapid City shared the No. 1 spot in April, but the rate for the state’s second-largest city rose to 1.9 percent in May.

For the Sioux Falls metro area, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties and Rock County in Minnesota, the 1.7 percent rate represents 3,062 unemployed people, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation. In April, the number of unemployed was 3,118.

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 177,797 in May, an increase from 177,594 in April.

A year ago, the metro area jobless rate was 1.6 percent, with 2,823 unemployed people.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 14,915 people in the metro area, basically unchanged from 14,910 in April. 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 fell to 10,847 in May, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system. There were 12,545 open positions the previous month. A year ago, there were 12,722 openings.

The Sioux Falls Job Service office is hosting four hiring events for employers in July:

Job seekers will have the opportunity to connect directly with representatives from the following businesses:

• School Bus Inc. on Thursday.
• Bluepeak on July 10.
• CCL Label on July 17.
• McDonald’s franchisee Hart2Hart on July 24.

Click on the links to see what jobs are available.

All events will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Job Service office in the Sioux Falls One Stop building at 1501 S. Highline Ave.

Businesses interested in participating in future events should contact the Sioux Falls Job Service at 605-910-4833 to speak with Paul Robson, business services specialist.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls MSA rose by 1,700 people to 181,400 in May compared with the previous month. The biggest percentage increase – 3.8 percent — was in the information category with 100 additional jobs. The only declines were in financial activities at minus 0.7 percent and professional and business services at minus 0.6 percent, both of which were a loss of 100 jobs.

Compared with a year ago, overall nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels were down by 200 people in the MSA. Mining, logging and construction was 7.3 percent higher than a year ago, while leisure and hospitality was down 8.2 percent.

South Dakota’s unemployment rate was unchanged in May at 1.8 percent, remaining as the lowest rate in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The next-lowest rate was North Dakota at 2.5 percent — down from 2.6 percent from the previous month. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate at 5.9 percent, followed by Nevada at 5.5 percent.

South Dakota’s jobless rate, which is seasonally adjusted, represents 9,000 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 1.8 percent, and there were 8,600 unemployed South Dakotans.

In May, South Dakota’s labor force rose by 700 people to 493,600 from the previous month. A year ago, it was 486,300.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 41,515 people. That’s up slightly from 41,270 in April and includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The national unemployment rate was unchanged in May at 4.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 4 percent.