Counties in South Dakota by employer firms

Minnehaha County had the highest employer firms of 66 counties in 2013, at 4,099. Buffalo County had the lowest, at 8. The median was 143 and the figure for South Dakota was 19,315. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,099Minnehaha County
Median14366 counties
South Dakota19,315History

Map of counties, 2013

Aurora County: 72 countBeadle County: 482 countBennett County: 56 countBon Homme County: 156 countBrookings County: 747 countBrown County: 1,081 countBrule County: 198 countBuffalo County: 8 countButte County: 268 countCampbell County: 44 countCharles Mix County: 228 countClark County: 99 countClay County: 266 countCodington County: 953 countCorson County: 37 countCuster County: 208 countDavison County: 634 countDay County: 152 countDeuel County: 104 countDewey County: 89 countDouglas County: 85 countEdmunds County: 115 countFall River County: 181 countFaulk County: 52 countGrant County: 244 countGregory County: 161 countHaakon County: 73 countHamlin County: 150 countHand County: 108 countHanson County: 71 countHarding County: 36 countHughes County: 561 countHutchinson County: 210 countHyde County: 37 countJackson County: 39 countJerauld County: 69 countJones County: 42 countKingsbury County: 142 countLake County: 314 countLawrence County: 862 countLincoln County: 1,266 countLyman County: 58 countMcCook County: 162 countMcPherson County: 68 countMarshall County: 128 countMeade County: 635 countMellette County: 25 countMiner County: 63 countMinnehaha County: 4,099 countMoody County: 144 countOglala Lakota County: 60 countPennington County: 2,857 countPerkins County: 95 countPotter County: 93 countRoberts County: 186 countSanborn County: 46 countSpink County: 152 countStanley County: 101 countSully County: 53 countTodd County: 59 countTripp County: 177 countTurner County: 203 countUnion County: 417 countWalworth County: 186 countYankton County: 649 countZiebach County: 21 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 80
  • 80 to 140
  • 140 to 190
  • 190 to 500
  • 500 and over
count, 2013. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2013

Minnehaha County: 4,099 countMinnehaha County4,099Pennington County: 2,857 countPennington County2,857Lincoln County: 1,266 countLincoln County1,266Brown County: 1,081 countBrown County1,081Codington County: 953 countCodington County953Lawrence County: 862 countLawrence County862Brookings County: 747 countBrookings County747Yankton County: 649 countYankton County649Meade County: 635 countMeade County635Davison County: 634 countDavison County634Hughes County: 561 countHughes County561Beadle County: 482 countBeadle County482Union County: 417 countUnion County417Lake County: 314 countLake County314Butte County: 268 countButte County268Clay County: 266 countClay County266Grant County: 244 countGrant County244Charles Mix County: 228 countCharles Mix County228Hutchinson County: 210 countHutchinson County210Custer County: 208 countCuster County208Turner County: 203 countTurner County203Brule County: 198 countBrule County198Roberts County: 186 countRoberts County186Walworth County: 186 countWalworth County186Fall River County: 181 countFall River County181Tripp County: 177 countTripp County177McCook County: 162 countMcCook County162Gregory County: 161 countGregory County161Bon Homme County: 156 countBon Homme County156Day County: 152 countDay County152Spink County: 152 countSpink County152Hamlin County: 150 countHamlin County150Moody County: 144 countMoody County144Kingsbury County: 142 countKingsbury County142Marshall County: 128 countMarshall County128Edmunds County: 115 countEdmunds County115Hand County: 108 countHand County108Deuel County: 104 countDeuel County104Stanley County: 101 countStanley County101Clark County: 99 countClark County99Minnehaha County: 4,099 countMinnehaha County4,099Pennington County: 2,857 countPennington County2,857Lincoln County: 1,266 countLincoln County1,266Brown County: 1,081 countBrown County1,081Codington County: 953 countCodington County953Lawrence County: 862 countLawrence County862Brookings County: 747 countBrookings County747Yankton County: 649 countYankton County649Meade County: 635 countMeade County635Davison County: 634 countDavison County634Hughes County: 561 countHughes County561Beadle County: 482 countBeadle County482Union County: 417 countUnion County417Lake County: 314 countLake County314Butte County: 268 countButte County268Clay County: 266 countClay County266Grant County: 244 countGrant County244Charles Mix County: 228 countCharles Mix County228Hutchinson County: 210 countHutchinson County210Custer County: 208 countCuster County208Turner County: 203 countTurner County203Brule County: 198 countBrule County198Roberts County: 186 countRoberts County186Walworth County: 186 countWalworth County186Fall River County: 181 countFall River County181Tripp County: 177 countTripp County177McCook County: 162 countMcCook County162Gregory County: 161 countGregory County161Bon Homme County: 156 countBon Homme County156Day County: 152 countDay County152Spink County: 152 countSpink County152Hamlin County: 150 countHamlin County150Moody County: 144 countMoody County144Kingsbury County: 142 countKingsbury County142Marshall County: 128 countMarshall County128Edmunds County: 115 countEdmunds County115Hand County: 108 countHand County108Deuel County: 104 countDeuel County104Stanley County: 101 countStanley County101Clark County: 99 countClark County99
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Minnehaha County4,099+0.7%
2Pennington County2,857+0.7%
3Lincoln County1,266+4.1%
4Brown County1,081-0.6%
5Codington County953+1%
6Lawrence County862+0.3%
7Brookings County747+1.8%
8Yankton County649+1.1%
9Meade County635-0.6%
10Davison County634-2%
11Hughes County561-1.1%
12Beadle County482-1%
13Union County417+1%
14Lake County314-1.6%
15Butte County268+0.4%
16Clay County2660%
17Grant County244-0.4%
18Charles Mix County228-1.3%
19Hutchinson County210+0.5%
20Custer County208-1.9%
21Turner County203-0.5%
22Brule County198+2.6%
23Roberts County186-2.1%
23Walworth County186+3.3%
25Fall River County181-2.7%
26Tripp County177+2.9%
27McCook County162+2.5%
28Gregory County161+4.5%
29Bon Homme County156+3.3%
30Day County152+2%
30Spink County152+0.7%
32Hamlin County1500%
33Moody County144+2.1%
34Kingsbury County142-3.4%
35Marshall County128+0.8%
36Edmunds County115+0.9%
37Hand County108+2.9%
38Deuel County104-2.8%
39Stanley County101-1.9%
40Clark County99+3.1%
41Perkins County95-4%
42Potter County93-6.1%
43Dewey County89-2.2%
44Douglas County85-1.2%
45Haakon County73+1.4%
46Aurora County72-8.9%
47Hanson County71+6%
48Jerauld County69+1.5%
49McPherson County68+4.6%
50Miner County63-1.6%
51Oglala Lakota County600%
52Todd County59+3.5%
53Lyman County580%
54Bennett County56-1.8%
55Sully County530%
56Faulk County52+2%
57Sanborn County46-2.1%
58Campbell County44+4.8%
59Jones County42-6.7%
60Jackson County39-2.5%
61Corson County37-2.6%
61Hyde County37+2.8%
63Harding County36-2.7%
64Mellette County25-7.4%
65Ziebach County21+5%
66Buffalo County80%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in South Dakota by employer firms, 2013
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Minnehaha County, with 4,099 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Buffalo County, with 8 in 2013.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings