South Dakota labor force fell 1.8% as payrolls edged higher

South Dakota’s labor force was 9,000 smaller than a year earlier in September, even as seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment rose slightly. The state’s preliminary estimates put the labor force down 1.8% year over year and employment in that series down 1.7%; payroll employment was up 0.4%.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.0%, unchanged from August and 0.1 percentage point below September 2025. The Labor Market Information Center reported the estimates on October 16 and cautioned that they are preliminary and subject to revision.

Labor-force and payroll measures diverged i

The seasonally adjusted labor force totaled 484,700, a decrease of 1,200 from August. Within that series, 475,100 people were employed, down 8,200 from September 2025. The number unemployed was 9,600, unchanged from August and 800 lower than a year earlier.

Nonfarm payroll employment is a separate measure from employment in the labor-force series. Seasonally adjusted payrolls totaled 470,500 in September, down 500 from August but up 1,800 from September 2025. The figures describe different measures and should not be treated as interchangeable counts.

Leisure and hospitality led sector gains i

Leisure and hospitality added 5,100 jobs over the year, a 10.1% increase and the largest seasonally adjusted annual gain among the sectors reported. Health care and social assistance added 1,300 jobs, or 1.8%, and construction added 800, or 2.7%.

Several sectors recorded annual declines. Trade, transportation and utilities fell by 2,000 jobs, or 2.2%. Professional and business services and government each lost 1,400 jobs; those declines were 3.8% and 1.7%, respectively. The 5,100-job leisure and hospitality gain exceeded the overall 1,800-job increase in seasonally adjusted payroll employment, while other sectors posted losses.

On an unadjusted basis, nonfarm payroll employment was 474,100, down 2,300 from August and up 1,500 from September 2025. The adjusted and unadjusted totals differ, so their monthly and annual comparisons are reported separately.

Further September figures scheduled this month i

As of October 18, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics had scheduled its September state employment and unemployment release for October 20. South Dakota’s fuller September bulletin, including data for all areas, was scheduled for October 23. The state scheduled seasonally adjusted labor-force data for its two metropolitan statistical areas for October 28.