Counties in South Dakota by employer firms

Minnehaha County had the highest employer firms of 66 counties in 2014, at 4,131. Buffalo County had the lowest, at 8. The median was 146 and the figure for South Dakota was 19,366. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,131Minnehaha County
Median14666 counties
South Dakota19,366History

Map of counties, 2014

Aurora County: 73 countBeadle County: 480 countBennett County: 54 countBon Homme County: 147 countBrookings County: 746 countBrown County: 1,091 countBrule County: 194 countBuffalo County: 8 countButte County: 277 countCampbell County: 45 countCharles Mix County: 235 countClark County: 97 countClay County: 270 countCodington County: 939 countCorson County: 39 countCuster County: 202 countDavison County: 623 countDay County: 153 countDeuel County: 102 countDewey County: 87 countDouglas County: 90 countEdmunds County: 111 countFall River County: 177 countFaulk County: 54 countGrant County: 245 countGregory County: 156 countHaakon County: 69 countHamlin County: 152 countHand County: 105 countHanson County: 70 countHarding County: 39 countHughes County: 560 countHutchinson County: 202 countHyde County: 37 countJackson County: 41 countJerauld County: 70 countJones County: 40 countKingsbury County: 147 countLake County: 316 countLawrence County: 874 countLincoln County: 1,311 countLyman County: 59 countMcCook County: 165 countMcPherson County: 64 countMarshall County: 127 countMeade County: 638 countMellette County: 22 countMiner County: 63 countMinnehaha County: 4,131 countMoody County: 144 countOglala Lakota County: 58 countPennington County: 2,879 countPerkins County: 101 countPotter County: 94 countRoberts County: 186 countSanborn County: 45 countSpink County: 158 countStanley County: 99 countSully County: 55 countTodd County: 60 countTripp County: 171 countTurner County: 210 countUnion County: 419 countWalworth County: 187 countYankton County: 640 countZiebach County: 20 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 80
  • 80 to 150
  • 150 to 190
  • 190 to 490
  • 490 and over
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Minnehaha County: 4,131 countMinnehaha County4,131Pennington County: 2,879 countPennington County2,879Lincoln County: 1,311 countLincoln County1,311Brown County: 1,091 countBrown County1,091Codington County: 939 countCodington County939Lawrence County: 874 countLawrence County874Brookings County: 746 countBrookings County746Yankton County: 640 countYankton County640Meade County: 638 countMeade County638Davison County: 623 countDavison County623Hughes County: 560 countHughes County560Beadle County: 480 countBeadle County480Union County: 419 countUnion County419Lake County: 316 countLake County316Butte County: 277 countButte County277Clay County: 270 countClay County270Grant County: 245 countGrant County245Charles Mix County: 235 countCharles Mix County235Turner County: 210 countTurner County210Custer County: 202 countCuster County202Hutchinson County: 202 countHutchinson County202Brule County: 194 countBrule County194Walworth County: 187 countWalworth County187Roberts County: 186 countRoberts County186Fall River County: 177 countFall River County177Tripp County: 171 countTripp County171McCook County: 165 countMcCook County165Spink County: 158 countSpink County158Gregory County: 156 countGregory County156Day County: 153 countDay County153Hamlin County: 152 countHamlin County152Bon Homme County: 147 countBon Homme County147Kingsbury County: 147 countKingsbury County147Moody County: 144 countMoody County144Marshall County: 127 countMarshall County127Edmunds County: 111 countEdmunds County111Hand County: 105 countHand County105Deuel County: 102 countDeuel County102Perkins County: 101 countPerkins County101Stanley County: 99 countStanley County99Minnehaha County: 4,131 countMinnehaha County4,131Pennington County: 2,879 countPennington County2,879Lincoln County: 1,311 countLincoln County1,311Brown County: 1,091 countBrown County1,091Codington County: 939 countCodington County939Lawrence County: 874 countLawrence County874Brookings County: 746 countBrookings County746Yankton County: 640 countYankton County640Meade County: 638 countMeade County638Davison County: 623 countDavison County623Hughes County: 560 countHughes County560Beadle County: 480 countBeadle County480Union County: 419 countUnion County419Lake County: 316 countLake County316Butte County: 277 countButte County277Clay County: 270 countClay County270Grant County: 245 countGrant County245Charles Mix County: 235 countCharles Mix County235Turner County: 210 countTurner County210Custer County: 202 countCuster County202Hutchinson County: 202 countHutchinson County202Brule County: 194 countBrule County194Walworth County: 187 countWalworth County187Roberts County: 186 countRoberts County186Fall River County: 177 countFall River County177Tripp County: 171 countTripp County171McCook County: 165 countMcCook County165Spink County: 158 countSpink County158Gregory County: 156 countGregory County156Day County: 153 countDay County153Hamlin County: 152 countHamlin County152Bon Homme County: 147 countBon Homme County147Kingsbury County: 147 countKingsbury County147Moody County: 144 countMoody County144Marshall County: 127 countMarshall County127Edmunds County: 111 countEdmunds County111Hand County: 105 countHand County105Deuel County: 102 countDeuel County102Perkins County: 101 countPerkins County101Stanley County: 99 countStanley 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

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Minnehaha County4,131+0.8%
2Pennington County2,879+0.8%
3Lincoln County1,311+3.6%
4Brown County1,091+0.9%
5Codington County939-1.5%
6Lawrence County874+1.4%
7Brookings County746-0.1%
8Yankton County640-1.4%
9Meade County638+0.5%
10Davison County623-1.7%
11Hughes County560-0.2%
12Beadle County480-0.4%
13Union County419+0.5%
14Lake County316+0.6%
15Butte County277+3.4%
16Clay County270+1.5%
17Grant County245+0.4%
18Charles Mix County235+3.1%
19Turner County210+3.4%
20Custer County202-2.9%
20Hutchinson County202-3.8%
22Brule County194-2%
23Walworth County187+0.5%
24Roberts County1860%
25Fall River County177-2.2%
26Tripp County171-3.4%
27McCook County165+1.9%
28Spink County158+3.9%
29Gregory County156-3.1%
30Day County153+0.7%
31Hamlin County152+1.3%
32Bon Homme County147-5.8%
32Kingsbury County147+3.5%
34Moody County1440%
35Marshall County127-0.8%
36Edmunds County111-3.5%
37Hand County105-2.8%
38Deuel County102-1.9%
39Perkins County101+6.3%
40Stanley County99-2%
41Clark County97-2%
42Potter County94+1.1%
43Douglas County90+5.9%
44Dewey County87-2.2%
45Aurora County73+1.4%
46Hanson County70-1.4%
46Jerauld County70+1.4%
48Haakon County69-5.5%
49McPherson County64-5.9%
50Miner County630%
51Todd County60+1.7%
52Lyman County59+1.7%
53Oglala Lakota County58-3.3%
54Sully County55+3.8%
55Bennett County54-3.6%
55Faulk County54+3.8%
57Campbell County45+2.3%
57Sanborn County45-2.2%
59Jackson County41+5.1%
60Jones County40-4.8%
61Corson County39+5.4%
61Harding County39+8.3%
63Hyde County370%
64Mellette County22-12%
65Ziebach County20-4.8%
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, 2014) [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, 2014. 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=2014. 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, 2014. 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=2014.

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, 2014 [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=2014 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2014,
  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, 2014}},
  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=2014. 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, 2014
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=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2014.
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  - 
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 employer firms using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firms","level":"province","within":"South Dakota","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firms&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 employer firms?

Minnehaha County, with 4,131 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Buffalo County, with 8 in 2014.

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