Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW)

Minnehaha County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 66 counties in 2020, at 7,931. Buffalo County had the lowest, at 30. The median was 212 and the figure for South Dakota was 35,005. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest7,931Minnehaha County
Median21266 counties
South Dakota35,005History

Map of counties, 2020

Aurora County: 107 countBeadle County: 662 countBennett County: 94 countBon Homme County: 216 countBrookings County: 1,126 countBrown County: 1,461 countBrule County: 259 countBuffalo County: 30 countButte County: 402 countCampbell County: 72 countCharles Mix County: 354 countClark County: 182 countClay County: 417 countCodington County: 1,270 countCorson County: 67 countCuster County: 370 countDavison County: 818 countDay County: 247 countDeuel County: 180 countDewey County: 140 countDouglas County: 128 countEdmunds County: 179 countFall River County: 302 countFaulk County: 104 countGrant County: 360 countGregory County: 235 countHaakon County: 112 countHamlin County: 241 countHand County: 172 countHanson County: 104 countHarding County: 70 countHughes County: 874 countHutchinson County: 273 countHyde County: 66 countJackson County: 86 countJerauld County: 108 countJones County: 67 countKingsbury County: 235 countLake County: 471 countLawrence County: 1,307 countLincoln County: 2,131 countLyman County: 131 countMcCook County: 227 countMcPherson County: 88 countMarshall County: 196 countMeade County: 872 countMellette County: 42 countMiner County: 106 countMinnehaha County: 7,931 countMoody County: 207 countOglala Lakota County: 120 countPennington County: 4,830 countPerkins County: 145 countPotter County: 131 countRoberts County: 298 countSanborn County: 80 countSpink County: 271 countStanley County: 151 countSully County: 97 countTodd County: 103 countTripp County: 258 countTurner County: 311 countUnion County: 751 countWalworth County: 251 countYankton County: 856 countZiebach County: 33 count
  • Under 90
  • 90 to 130
  • 130 to 210
  • 210 to 280
  • 280 to 760
  • 760 and over
count, 2020. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Minnehaha County: 7,931 countMinnehaha County7,931Pennington County: 4,830 countPennington County4,830Lincoln County: 2,131 countLincoln County2,131Brown County: 1,461 countBrown County1,461Lawrence County: 1,307 countLawrence County1,307Codington County: 1,270 countCodington County1,270Brookings County: 1,126 countBrookings County1,126Hughes County: 874 countHughes County874Meade County: 872 countMeade County872Yankton County: 856 countYankton County856Davison County: 818 countDavison County818Union County: 751 countUnion County751Beadle County: 662 countBeadle County662Lake County: 471 countLake County471Clay County: 417 countClay County417Butte County: 402 countButte County402Custer County: 370 countCuster County370Grant County: 360 countGrant County360Charles Mix County: 354 countCharles Mix County354Turner County: 311 countTurner County311Fall River County: 302 countFall River County302Roberts County: 298 countRoberts County298Hutchinson County: 273 countHutchinson County273Spink County: 271 countSpink County271Brule County: 259 countBrule County259Tripp County: 258 countTripp County258Walworth County: 251 countWalworth County251Day County: 247 countDay County247Hamlin County: 241 countHamlin County241Gregory County: 235 countGregory County235Kingsbury County: 235 countKingsbury County235McCook County: 227 countMcCook County227Bon Homme County: 216 countBon Homme County216Moody County: 207 countMoody County207Marshall County: 196 countMarshall County196Clark County: 182 countClark County182Deuel County: 180 countDeuel County180Edmunds County: 179 countEdmunds County179Hand County: 172 countHand County172Stanley County: 151 countStanley County151Minnehaha County: 7,931 countMinnehaha County7,931Pennington County: 4,830 countPennington County4,830Lincoln County: 2,131 countLincoln County2,131Brown County: 1,461 countBrown County1,461Lawrence County: 1,307 countLawrence County1,307Codington County: 1,270 countCodington County1,270Brookings County: 1,126 countBrookings County1,126Hughes County: 874 countHughes County874Meade County: 872 countMeade County872Yankton County: 856 countYankton County856Davison County: 818 countDavison County818Union County: 751 countUnion County751Beadle County: 662 countBeadle County662Lake County: 471 countLake County471Clay County: 417 countClay County417Butte County: 402 countButte County402Custer County: 370 countCuster County370Grant County: 360 countGrant County360Charles Mix County: 354 countCharles Mix County354Turner County: 311 countTurner County311Fall River County: 302 countFall River County302Roberts County: 298 countRoberts County298Hutchinson County: 273 countHutchinson County273Spink County: 271 countSpink County271Brule County: 259 countBrule County259Tripp County: 258 countTripp County258Walworth County: 251 countWalworth County251Day County: 247 countDay County247Hamlin County: 241 countHamlin County241Gregory County: 235 countGregory County235Kingsbury County: 235 countKingsbury County235McCook County: 227 countMcCook County227Bon Homme County: 216 countBon Homme County216Moody County: 207 countMoody County207Marshall County: 196 countMarshall County196Clark County: 182 countClark County182Deuel County: 180 countDeuel County180Edmunds County: 179 countEdmunds County179Hand County: 172 countHand County172Stanley County: 151 countStanley County151
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Minnehaha County7,931+3.6%
2Pennington County4,830+4.1%
3Lincoln County2,131+3.8%
4Brown County1,461+0.1%
5Lawrence County1,307+3.5%
6Codington County1,270+2.8%
7Brookings County1,126+2.9%
8Hughes County874+0.7%
9Meade County872+2.7%
10Yankton County856+1.8%
11Davison County8180%
12Union County751+4%
13Beadle County662-0.7%
14Lake County471-1.3%
15Clay County417+4.3%
16Butte County402+0.2%
17Custer County370+5.1%
18Grant County360+0.6%
19Charles Mix County354+1.7%
20Turner County311+0.3%
21Fall River County302+1%
22Roberts County298+0.7%
23Hutchinson County273+1.1%
24Spink County271-0.7%
25Brule County259-1.5%
26Tripp County258-2.6%
27Walworth County251-0.4%
28Day County247-0.8%
29Hamlin County241-3.2%
30Gregory County235+0.9%
30Kingsbury County235+5.9%
32McCook County2270%
33Bon Homme County216-0.9%
34Moody County207-3.3%
35Marshall County1960%
36Clark County182+2.8%
37Deuel County180+2.9%
38Edmunds County179-1.1%
39Hand County172+1.8%
40Stanley County151+2.7%
41Perkins County145+0.7%
42Dewey County140+0.7%
43Lyman County131+3.1%
43Potter County131-2.2%
45Douglas County128-0.8%
46Oglala Lakota County120+0.8%
47Haakon County112+6.7%
48Jerauld County1080%
49Aurora County107-2.7%
50Miner County106-0.9%
51Faulk County104-1%
51Hanson County104+6.1%
53Todd County1030%
54Sully County97+2.1%
55Bennett County94+5.6%
56McPherson County88-1.1%
57Jackson County86+2.4%
58Sanborn County800%
59Campbell County720%
60Harding County700%
61Corson County67+1.5%
61Jones County67-2.9%
63Hyde County66-4.3%
64Mellette County420%
65Ziebach County33-2.9%
66Buffalo County30+3.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_dakota_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/south-dakota-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in South Dakota by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Minnehaha County, with 7,931 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Buffalo County, with 30 in 2020.

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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings