Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (QCEW)

Minnehaha County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 66 counties in 2014, at 120,987 jobs. Ziebach County had the lowest, at 298 jobs. The median was 1,826 jobs and the figure for South Dakota was 410,929 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest120,987Minnehaha County
Median1,82666 counties
South Dakota410,929History

Map of counties, 2014

Aurora County: 908 jobsBeadle County: 8,433 jobsBennett County: 868 jobsBon Homme County: 1,799 jobsBrookings County: 17,519 jobsBrown County: 20,715 jobsBrule County: 1,901 jobsBuffalo County: 522 jobsButte County: 2,880 jobsCampbell County: 465 jobsCharles Mix County: 3,465 jobsClark County: 1,054 jobsClay County: 5,683 jobsCodington County: 15,942 jobsCorson County: 838 jobsCuster County: 2,409 jobsDavison County: 12,464 jobsDay County: 1,904 jobsDeuel County: 1,435 jobsDewey County: 2,148 jobsDouglas County: 1,162 jobsEdmunds County: 1,230 jobsFall River County: 2,391 jobsFaulk County: 585 jobsGrant County: 3,901 jobsGregory County: 1,445 jobsHaakon County: 758 jobsHamlin County: 1,789 jobsHand County: 1,307 jobsHanson County: 564 jobsHarding County: 437 jobsHughes County: 10,675 jobsHutchinson County: 2,577 jobsHyde County: 532 jobsJackson County: 703 jobsJerauld County: 1,566 jobsJones County: 440 jobsKingsbury County: 1,853 jobsLake County: 4,729 jobsLawrence County: 11,294 jobsLincoln County: 18,730 jobsLyman County: 1,450 jobsMcCook County: 1,383 jobsMcPherson County: 619 jobsMarshall County: 1,689 jobsMeade County: 6,704 jobsMellette County: 354 jobsMiner County: 735 jobsMinnehaha County: 120,987 jobsMoody County: 2,301 jobsOglala Lakota County: 3,606 jobsPennington County: 55,435 jobsPerkins County: 1,113 jobsPotter County: 877 jobsRoberts County: 3,459 jobsSanborn County: 612 jobsSpink County: 2,391 jobsStanley County: 1,327 jobsSully County: 565 jobsTodd County: 2,815 jobsTripp County: 2,095 jobsTurner County: 2,085 jobsUnion County: 9,288 jobsWalworth County: 2,309 jobsYankton County: 12,269 jobsZiebach County: 298 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 and over
jobs, 2014. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2014

Minnehaha County: 120,987 jobsMinnehaha County120,987Pennington County: 55,435 jobsPennington County55,435Brown County: 20,715 jobsBrown County20,715Lincoln County: 18,730 jobsLincoln County18,730Brookings County: 17,519 jobsBrookings County17,519Codington County: 15,942 jobsCodington County15,942Davison County: 12,464 jobsDavison County12,464Yankton County: 12,269 jobsYankton County12,269Lawrence County: 11,294 jobsLawrence County11,294Hughes County: 10,675 jobsHughes County10,675Union County: 9,288 jobsUnion County9,288Beadle County: 8,433 jobsBeadle County8,433Meade County: 6,704 jobsMeade County6,704Clay County: 5,683 jobsClay County5,683Lake County: 4,729 jobsLake County4,729Grant County: 3,901 jobsGrant County3,901Oglala Lakota County: 3,606 jobsOglala Lakota County3,606Charles Mix County: 3,465 jobsCharles Mix County3,465Roberts County: 3,459 jobsRoberts County3,459Butte County: 2,880 jobsButte County2,880Todd County: 2,815 jobsTodd County2,815Hutchinson County: 2,577 jobsHutchinson County2,577Custer County: 2,409 jobsCuster County2,409Fall River County: 2,391 jobsFall River County2,391Spink County: 2,391 jobsSpink County2,391Walworth County: 2,309 jobsWalworth County2,309Moody County: 2,301 jobsMoody County2,301Dewey County: 2,148 jobsDewey County2,148Tripp County: 2,095 jobsTripp County2,095Turner County: 2,085 jobsTurner County2,085Day County: 1,904 jobsDay County1,904Brule County: 1,901 jobsBrule County1,901Kingsbury County: 1,853 jobsKingsbury County1,853Bon Homme County: 1,799 jobsBon Homme County1,799Hamlin County: 1,789 jobsHamlin County1,789Marshall County: 1,689 jobsMarshall County1,689Jerauld County: 1,566 jobsJerauld County1,566Lyman County: 1,450 jobsLyman County1,450Gregory County: 1,445 jobsGregory County1,445Deuel County: 1,435 jobsDeuel County1,435Minnehaha County: 120,987 jobsMinnehaha County120,987Pennington County: 55,435 jobsPennington County55,435Brown County: 20,715 jobsBrown County20,715Lincoln County: 18,730 jobsLincoln County18,730Brookings County: 17,519 jobsBrookings County17,519Codington County: 15,942 jobsCodington County15,942Davison County: 12,464 jobsDavison County12,464Yankton County: 12,269 jobsYankton County12,269Lawrence County: 11,294 jobsLawrence County11,294Hughes County: 10,675 jobsHughes County10,675Union County: 9,288 jobsUnion County9,288Beadle County: 8,433 jobsBeadle County8,433Meade County: 6,704 jobsMeade County6,704Clay County: 5,683 jobsClay County5,683Lake County: 4,729 jobsLake County4,729Grant County: 3,901 jobsGrant County3,901Oglala Lakota County: 3,606 jobsOglala Lakota County3,606Charles Mix County: 3,465 jobsCharles Mix County3,465Roberts County: 3,459 jobsRoberts County3,459Butte County: 2,880 jobsButte County2,880Todd County: 2,815 jobsTodd County2,815Hutchinson County: 2,577 jobsHutchinson County2,577Custer County: 2,409 jobsCuster County2,409Fall River County: 2,391 jobsFall River County2,391Spink County: 2,391 jobsSpink County2,391Walworth County: 2,309 jobsWalworth County2,309Moody County: 2,301 jobsMoody County2,301Dewey County: 2,148 jobsDewey County2,148Tripp County: 2,095 jobsTripp County2,095Turner County: 2,085 jobsTurner County2,085Day County: 1,904 jobsDay County1,904Brule County: 1,901 jobsBrule County1,901Kingsbury County: 1,853 jobsKingsbury County1,853Bon Homme County: 1,799 jobsBon Homme County1,799Hamlin County: 1,789 jobsHamlin County1,789Marshall County: 1,689 jobsMarshall County1,689Jerauld County: 1,566 jobsJerauld County1,566Lyman County: 1,450 jobsLyman County1,450Gregory County: 1,445 jobsGregory County1,445Deuel County: 1,435 jobsDeuel County1,435
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
jobs
Change on 2013
1Minnehaha County120,987+2.5%
2Pennington County55,435+1.4%
3Brown County20,715+0.8%
4Lincoln County18,730+5.6%
5Brookings County17,519+3.3%
6Codington County15,942-0.1%
7Davison County12,464+1.1%
8Yankton County12,269-0.5%
9Lawrence County11,294+0.2%
10Hughes County10,675+1.5%
11Union County9,288+2.4%
12Beadle County8,433-0.4%
13Meade County6,704+3.3%
14Clay County5,683+0.6%
15Lake County4,729+0.3%
16Grant County3,901+2.8%
17Oglala Lakota County3,606-1.2%
18Charles Mix County3,465+1.7%
19Roberts County3,459+0.3%
20Butte County2,880+3.3%
21Todd County2,815-0.7%
22Hutchinson County2,577+0.2%
23Custer County2,409-0.9%
24Fall River County2,391-0.5%
24Spink County2,391+1.7%
26Walworth County2,309+1.1%
27Moody County2,301+0.2%
28Dewey County2,148-2.2%
29Tripp County2,095+2.4%
30Turner County2,085-0.9%
31Day County1,904-1.8%
32Brule County1,901-1.6%
33Kingsbury County1,853+0.2%
34Bon Homme County1,799+1.5%
35Hamlin County1,789+0.8%
36Marshall County1,689+1.4%
37Jerauld County1,566+2.2%
38Lyman County1,450-2.7%
39Gregory County1,445-0.2%
40Deuel County1,435-3.6%
41McCook County1,383+2.7%
42Stanley County1,327-1%
43Hand County1,307+2%
44Edmunds County1,230+0.1%
45Douglas County1,162+3.3%
46Perkins County1,113+3.6%
47Clark County1,054+0.5%
48Aurora County908-4.3%
49Potter County877+2.3%
50Bennett County868+3.3%
51Corson County838-0.2%
52Haakon County758+2.6%
53Miner County735+2.1%
54Jackson County703+2.8%
55McPherson County6190%
56Sanborn County612-6.8%
57Faulk County585-2.3%
58Sully County565+1.6%
59Hanson County564+2.7%
60Hyde County532-0.4%
61Buffalo County522-0.2%
62Campbell County465-1.3%
63Jones County440-0.7%
64Harding County437+1.4%
65Mellette County354+1.4%
66Ziebach County298+4.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. 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.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. 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. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (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/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (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/covered-employment/south-dakota-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (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/covered-employment/south-dakota-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (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/covered-employment/south-dakota-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/south-dakota-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in South Dakota by covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"covered_employment","level":"province","within":"South Dakota","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=covered_employment&level=province&within=South%20Dakota&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Minnehaha County, with 120,987 jobs in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Ziebach County, with 298 jobs 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings