Counties in South Dakota by employer firms

Minnehaha County had the highest employer firms of 66 counties in 2016, at 4,212. Buffalo County had the lowest, at 8. The median was 144 and the figure for South Dakota was 19,770. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,212Minnehaha County
Median14466 counties
South Dakota19,770History

Map of counties, 2016

Aurora County: 69 countBeadle County: 482 countBennett County: 59 countBon Homme County: 146 countBrookings County: 777 countBrown County: 1,105 countBrule County: 193 countBuffalo County: 8 countButte County: 282 countCampbell County: 50 countCharles Mix County: 231 countClark County: 104 countClay County: 274 countCodington County: 954 countCorson County: 35 countCuster County: 217 countDavison County: 624 countDay County: 164 countDeuel County: 99 countDewey County: 89 countDouglas County: 83 countEdmunds County: 105 countFall River County: 186 countFaulk County: 61 countGrant County: 249 countGregory County: 161 countHaakon County: 72 countHamlin County: 155 countHand County: 116 countHanson County: 76 countHarding County: 38 countHughes County: 563 countHutchinson County: 205 countHyde County: 38 countJackson County: 41 countJerauld County: 61 countJones County: 39 countKingsbury County: 145 countLake County: 321 countLawrence County: 898 countLincoln County: 1,443 countLyman County: 60 countMcCook County: 165 countMcPherson County: 69 countMarshall County: 127 countMeade County: 635 countMellette County: 21 countMiner County: 64 countMinnehaha County: 4,212 countMoody County: 143 countOglala Lakota County: 64 countPennington County: 2,977 countPerkins County: 107 countPotter County: 89 countRoberts County: 188 countSanborn County: 50 countSpink County: 161 countStanley County: 99 countSully County: 53 countTodd County: 56 countTripp County: 166 countTurner County: 210 countUnion County: 415 countWalworth County: 191 countYankton County: 666 countZiebach County: 20 count
  • Under 60
  • 60 to 80
  • 80 to 140
  • 140 to 190
  • 190 to 500
  • 500 and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Minnehaha County: 4,212 countMinnehaha County4,212Pennington County: 2,977 countPennington County2,977Lincoln County: 1,443 countLincoln County1,443Brown County: 1,105 countBrown County1,105Codington County: 954 countCodington County954Lawrence County: 898 countLawrence County898Brookings County: 777 countBrookings County777Yankton County: 666 countYankton County666Meade County: 635 countMeade County635Davison County: 624 countDavison County624Hughes County: 563 countHughes County563Beadle County: 482 countBeadle County482Union County: 415 countUnion County415Lake County: 321 countLake County321Butte County: 282 countButte County282Clay County: 274 countClay County274Grant County: 249 countGrant County249Charles Mix County: 231 countCharles Mix County231Custer County: 217 countCuster County217Turner County: 210 countTurner County210Hutchinson County: 205 countHutchinson County205Brule County: 193 countBrule County193Walworth County: 191 countWalworth County191Roberts County: 188 countRoberts County188Fall River County: 186 countFall River County186Tripp County: 166 countTripp County166McCook County: 165 countMcCook County165Day County: 164 countDay County164Gregory County: 161 countGregory County161Spink County: 161 countSpink County161Hamlin County: 155 countHamlin County155Bon Homme County: 146 countBon Homme County146Kingsbury County: 145 countKingsbury County145Moody County: 143 countMoody County143Marshall County: 127 countMarshall County127Hand County: 116 countHand County116Perkins County: 107 countPerkins County107Edmunds County: 105 countEdmunds County105Clark County: 104 countClark County104Deuel County: 99 countDeuel County99Minnehaha County: 4,212 countMinnehaha County4,212Pennington County: 2,977 countPennington County2,977Lincoln County: 1,443 countLincoln County1,443Brown County: 1,105 countBrown County1,105Codington County: 954 countCodington County954Lawrence County: 898 countLawrence County898Brookings County: 777 countBrookings County777Yankton County: 666 countYankton County666Meade County: 635 countMeade County635Davison County: 624 countDavison County624Hughes County: 563 countHughes County563Beadle County: 482 countBeadle County482Union County: 415 countUnion County415Lake County: 321 countLake County321Butte County: 282 countButte County282Clay County: 274 countClay County274Grant County: 249 countGrant County249Charles Mix County: 231 countCharles Mix County231Custer County: 217 countCuster County217Turner County: 210 countTurner County210Hutchinson County: 205 countHutchinson County205Brule County: 193 countBrule County193Walworth County: 191 countWalworth County191Roberts County: 188 countRoberts County188Fall River County: 186 countFall River County186Tripp County: 166 countTripp County166McCook County: 165 countMcCook County165Day County: 164 countDay County164Gregory County: 161 countGregory County161Spink County: 161 countSpink County161Hamlin County: 155 countHamlin County155Bon Homme County: 146 countBon Homme County146Kingsbury County: 145 countKingsbury County145Moody County: 143 countMoody County143Marshall County: 127 countMarshall County127Hand County: 116 countHand County116Perkins County: 107 countPerkins County107Edmunds County: 105 countEdmunds County105Clark County: 104 countClark County104Deuel County: 99 countDeuel 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

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1Minnehaha County4,212+0.9%
2Pennington County2,977+1.1%
3Lincoln County1,443+6%
4Brown County1,105-0.3%
5Codington County954+1.1%
6Lawrence County898+1.7%
7Brookings County777+2.5%
8Yankton County666+0.5%
9Meade County635-0.2%
10Davison County624-1.7%
11Hughes County563-0.9%
12Beadle County4820%
13Union County415-1.2%
14Lake County321+2.9%
15Butte County282-0.4%
16Clay County274+0.7%
17Grant County249-2.7%
18Charles Mix County231-2.9%
19Custer County217+5.9%
20Turner County210+2.4%
21Hutchinson County205+3.5%
22Brule County193-0.5%
23Walworth County191+1.1%
24Roberts County188+3.3%
25Fall River County186+0.5%
26Tripp County166+3.1%
27McCook County1650%
28Day County164+7.2%
29Gregory County161+1.9%
29Spink County161+1.9%
31Hamlin County155-2.5%
32Bon Homme County146-2.7%
33Kingsbury County145-0.7%
34Moody County143-5.3%
35Marshall County127+5.8%
36Hand County116+2.7%
37Perkins County107+3.9%
38Edmunds County105-3.7%
39Clark County104+2%
40Deuel County99-5.7%
40Stanley County99+4.2%
42Dewey County89+3.5%
42Potter County89+3.5%
44Douglas County83-4.6%
45Hanson County76-3.8%
46Haakon County72+7.5%
47Aurora County69+1.5%
47McPherson County69-4.2%
49Miner County64-3%
49Oglala Lakota County64+12.3%
51Faulk County61+13%
51Jerauld County61-4.7%
53Lyman County60+3.4%
54Bennett County59+1.7%
55Todd County56-1.8%
56Sully County53+1.9%
57Campbell County50+6.4%
57Sanborn County50+6.4%
59Jackson County41-10.9%
60Jones County390%
61Harding County38+5.6%
61Hyde County38-2.6%
63Corson County35-5.4%
64Mellette County210%
65Ziebach County200%
66Buffalo County8-11.1%

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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2016.
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 4,212 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Buffalo County, with 8 in 2016.

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