Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW)

Union County had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 66 counties in 2014, at $942. Mellette County had the lowest, at $447. The median was $619 and the figure for South Dakota was $744. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest942Union County
Median61966 counties
South Dakota744History

Map of counties, 2014

Aurora County: 568 USDBeadle County: 692 USDBennett County: 521 USDBon Homme County: 587 USDBrookings County: 751 USDBrown County: 728 USDBrule County: 552 USDBuffalo County: 659 USDButte County: 602 USDCampbell County: 596 USDCharles Mix County: 576 USDClark County: 584 USDClay County: 655 USDCodington County: 697 USDCorson County: 639 USDCuster County: 611 USDDavison County: 684 USDDay County: 545 USDDeuel County: 698 USDDewey County: 667 USDDouglas County: 611 USDEdmunds County: 695 USDFall River County: 617 USDFaulk County: 603 USDGrant County: 747 USDGregory County: 537 USDHaakon County: 619 USDHamlin County: 672 USDHand County: 594 USDHanson County: 668 USDHarding County: 823 USDHughes County: 762 USDHutchinson County: 608 USDHyde County: 708 USDJackson County: 507 USDJerauld County: 639 USDJones County: 504 USDKingsbury County: 618 USDLake County: 696 USDLawrence County: 612 USDLincoln County: 824 USDLyman County: 522 USDMcCook County: 600 USDMcPherson County: 521 USDMarshall County: 679 USDMeade County: 675 USDMellette County: 447 USDMiner County: 605 USDMinnehaha County: 837 USDMoody County: 669 USDOglala Lakota County: 714 USDPennington County: 725 USDPerkins County: 539 USDPotter County: 584 USDRoberts County: 588 USDSanborn County: 568 USDSpink County: 638 USDStanley County: 621 USDSully County: 646 USDTodd County: 636 USDTripp County: 598 USDTurner County: 604 USDUnion County: 942 USDWalworth County: 571 USDYankton County: 722 USDZiebach County: 605 USD
  • Under 570
  • 570 to 600
  • 600 to 620
  • 620 to 670
  • 670 to 710
  • 710 and over
USD, 2014. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2014

Union County: 942 USDUnion County942Minnehaha County: 837 USDMinnehaha County837Lincoln County: 824 USDLincoln County824Harding County: 823 USDHarding County823Hughes County: 762 USDHughes County762Brookings County: 751 USDBrookings County751Grant County: 747 USDGrant County747Brown County: 728 USDBrown County728Pennington County: 725 USDPennington County725Yankton County: 722 USDYankton County722Oglala Lakota County: 714 USDOglala Lakota County714Hyde County: 708 USDHyde County708Deuel County: 698 USDDeuel County698Codington County: 697 USDCodington County697Lake County: 696 USDLake County696Edmunds County: 695 USDEdmunds County695Beadle County: 692 USDBeadle County692Davison County: 684 USDDavison County684Marshall County: 679 USDMarshall County679Meade County: 675 USDMeade County675Hamlin County: 672 USDHamlin County672Moody County: 669 USDMoody County669Hanson County: 668 USDHanson County668Dewey County: 667 USDDewey County667Buffalo County: 659 USDBuffalo County659Clay County: 655 USDClay County655Sully County: 646 USDSully County646Corson County: 639 USDCorson County639Jerauld County: 639 USDJerauld County639Spink County: 638 USDSpink County638Todd County: 636 USDTodd County636Stanley County: 621 USDStanley County621Haakon County: 619 USDHaakon County619Kingsbury County: 618 USDKingsbury County618Fall River County: 617 USDFall River County617Lawrence County: 612 USDLawrence County612Custer County: 611 USDCuster County611Douglas County: 611 USDDouglas County611Hutchinson County: 608 USDHutchinson County608Miner County: 605 USDMiner County605Union County: 942 USDUnion County942Minnehaha County: 837 USDMinnehaha County837Lincoln County: 824 USDLincoln County824Harding County: 823 USDHarding County823Hughes County: 762 USDHughes County762Brookings County: 751 USDBrookings County751Grant County: 747 USDGrant County747Brown County: 728 USDBrown County728Pennington County: 725 USDPennington County725Yankton County: 722 USDYankton County722Oglala Lakota County: 714 USDOglala Lakota County714Hyde County: 708 USDHyde County708Deuel County: 698 USDDeuel County698Codington County: 697 USDCodington County697Lake County: 696 USDLake County696Edmunds County: 695 USDEdmunds County695Beadle County: 692 USDBeadle County692Davison County: 684 USDDavison County684Marshall County: 679 USDMarshall County679Meade County: 675 USDMeade County675Hamlin County: 672 USDHamlin County672Moody County: 669 USDMoody County669Hanson County: 668 USDHanson County668Dewey County: 667 USDDewey County667Buffalo County: 659 USDBuffalo County659Clay County: 655 USDClay County655Sully County: 646 USDSully County646Corson County: 639 USDCorson County639Jerauld County: 639 USDJerauld County639Spink County: 638 USDSpink County638Todd County: 636 USDTodd County636Stanley County: 621 USDStanley County621Haakon County: 619 USDHaakon County619Kingsbury County: 618 USDKingsbury County618Fall River County: 617 USDFall River County617Lawrence County: 612 USDLawrence County612Custer County: 611 USDCuster County611Douglas County: 611 USDDouglas County611Hutchinson County: 608 USDHutchinson County608Miner County: 605 USDMiner County605
USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
USD
Change on 2013
1Union County942+6.4%
2Minnehaha County837+3.7%
3Lincoln County824+2.4%
4Harding County823+9.3%
5Hughes County762+4.5%
6Brookings County751+4%
7Grant County747+8.6%
8Brown County728+3.3%
9Pennington County725+3%
10Yankton County722+4.8%
11Oglala Lakota County714+4.8%
12Hyde County708+3.7%
13Deuel County698+4%
14Codington County697+4%
15Lake County696+6.3%
16Edmunds County695+6.3%
17Beadle County692+4.8%
18Davison County684+3.5%
19Marshall County679+7.3%
20Meade County675+3.2%
21Hamlin County672+12.2%
22Moody County669+3.1%
23Hanson County668+6%
24Dewey County667+3.7%
25Buffalo County659-1.1%
26Clay County655+2.7%
27Sully County646+7.1%
28Corson County639+4.9%
28Jerauld County639+6.9%
30Spink County638+2.9%
31Todd County6360%
32Stanley County621+2.3%
33Haakon County619+3.7%
34Kingsbury County618+5.8%
35Fall River County617+2.3%
36Lawrence County612+3.6%
37Custer County611+5.3%
37Douglas County611+6.6%
39Hutchinson County608+7.2%
40Miner County605+4.1%
40Ziebach County605-5%
42Turner County604+6.3%
43Faulk County603+2.7%
44Butte County602+3.6%
45McCook County600+5.6%
46Tripp County598-1.2%
47Campbell County596+5.5%
48Hand County594+2.9%
49Roberts County588+3.3%
50Bon Homme County587+4.4%
51Clark County584+5.8%
51Potter County584+1.9%
53Charles Mix County576+1.9%
54Walworth County571+1.1%
55Aurora County568+5%
55Sanborn County568+3.6%
57Brule County552+3.8%
58Day County545+2.6%
59Perkins County539+0.7%
60Gregory County537+2.9%
61Lyman County522+5.9%
62Bennett County521-0.4%
62McPherson County521+4.6%
64Jackson County507+2.4%
65Jones County504+4.1%
66Mellette County447+4.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_dakota_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/south-dakota-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in South Dakota by average weekly wage (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Union County, with $942 in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Mellette County, with $447 in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average weekly wage (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings