Counties in South Dakota by employer firms

Minnehaha County had the highest employer firms of 66 counties in 2019, at 4,400. Buffalo County had the lowest, at 9. The median was 137 and the figure for South Dakota was 19,949. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,400Minnehaha County
Median13766 counties
South Dakota19,949History

Map of counties, 2019

Aurora County: 69 countBeadle County: 461 countBennett County: 49 countBon Homme County: 142 countBrookings County: 770 countBrown County: 1,092 countBrule County: 195 countBuffalo County: 9 countButte County: 274 countCampbell County: 46 countCharles Mix County: 230 countClark County: 108 countClay County: 271 countCodington County: 936 countCorson County: 34 countCuster County: 229 countDavison County: 615 countDay County: 162 countDeuel County: 103 countDewey County: 83 countDouglas County: 88 countEdmunds County: 108 countFall River County: 181 countFaulk County: 60 countGrant County: 253 countGregory County: 162 countHaakon County: 68 countHamlin County: 160 countHand County: 104 countHanson County: 75 countHarding County: 43 countHughes County: 550 countHutchinson County: 189 countHyde County: 41 countJackson County: 46 countJerauld County: 69 countJones County: 41 countKingsbury County: 131 countLake County: 315 countLawrence County: 935 countLincoln County: 1,557 countLyman County: 54 countMcCook County: 157 countMcPherson County: 60 countMarshall County: 132 countMeade County: 647 countMellette County: 21 countMiner County: 66 countMinnehaha County: 4,400 countMoody County: 145 countOglala Lakota County: 61 countPennington County: 2,971 countPerkins County: 99 countPotter County: 89 countRoberts County: 191 countSanborn County: 48 countSpink County: 148 countStanley County: 95 countSully County: 57 countTodd County: 53 countTripp County: 173 countTurner County: 197 countUnion County: 438 countWalworth County: 184 countYankton County: 612 countZiebach County: 19 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 80
  • 80 to 140
  • 140 to 190
  • 190 to 480
  • 480 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Minnehaha County: 4,400 countMinnehaha County4,400Pennington County: 2,971 countPennington County2,971Lincoln County: 1,557 countLincoln County1,557Brown County: 1,092 countBrown County1,092Codington County: 936 countCodington County936Lawrence County: 935 countLawrence County935Brookings County: 770 countBrookings County770Meade County: 647 countMeade County647Davison County: 615 countDavison County615Yankton County: 612 countYankton County612Hughes County: 550 countHughes County550Beadle County: 461 countBeadle County461Union County: 438 countUnion County438Lake County: 315 countLake County315Butte County: 274 countButte County274Clay County: 271 countClay County271Grant County: 253 countGrant County253Charles Mix County: 230 countCharles Mix County230Custer County: 229 countCuster County229Turner County: 197 countTurner County197Brule County: 195 countBrule County195Roberts County: 191 countRoberts County191Hutchinson County: 189 countHutchinson County189Walworth County: 184 countWalworth County184Fall River County: 181 countFall River County181Tripp County: 173 countTripp County173Day County: 162 countDay County162Gregory County: 162 countGregory County162Hamlin County: 160 countHamlin County160McCook County: 157 countMcCook County157Spink County: 148 countSpink County148Moody County: 145 countMoody County145Bon Homme County: 142 countBon Homme County142Marshall County: 132 countMarshall County132Kingsbury County: 131 countKingsbury County131Clark County: 108 countClark County108Edmunds County: 108 countEdmunds County108Hand County: 104 countHand County104Deuel County: 103 countDeuel County103Perkins County: 99 countPerkins County99Minnehaha County: 4,400 countMinnehaha County4,400Pennington County: 2,971 countPennington County2,971Lincoln County: 1,557 countLincoln County1,557Brown County: 1,092 countBrown County1,092Codington County: 936 countCodington County936Lawrence County: 935 countLawrence County935Brookings County: 770 countBrookings County770Meade County: 647 countMeade County647Davison County: 615 countDavison County615Yankton County: 612 countYankton County612Hughes County: 550 countHughes County550Beadle County: 461 countBeadle County461Union County: 438 countUnion County438Lake County: 315 countLake County315Butte County: 274 countButte County274Clay County: 271 countClay County271Grant County: 253 countGrant County253Charles Mix County: 230 countCharles Mix County230Custer County: 229 countCuster County229Turner County: 197 countTurner County197Brule County: 195 countBrule County195Roberts County: 191 countRoberts County191Hutchinson County: 189 countHutchinson County189Walworth County: 184 countWalworth County184Fall River County: 181 countFall River County181Tripp County: 173 countTripp County173Day County: 162 countDay County162Gregory County: 162 countGregory County162Hamlin County: 160 countHamlin County160McCook County: 157 countMcCook County157Spink County: 148 countSpink County148Moody County: 145 countMoody County145Bon Homme County: 142 countBon Homme County142Marshall County: 132 countMarshall County132Kingsbury County: 131 countKingsbury County131Clark County: 108 countClark County108Edmunds County: 108 countEdmunds County108Hand County: 104 countHand County104Deuel County: 103 countDeuel County103Perkins County: 99 countPerkins 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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Minnehaha County4,400+1.2%
2Pennington County2,971-0.6%
3Lincoln County1,557+0.5%
4Brown County1,092-0.4%
5Codington County936-0.2%
6Lawrence County935+2.6%
7Brookings County770+1.2%
8Meade County647+0.2%
9Davison County615-1%
10Yankton County612-2.9%
11Hughes County550-2.3%
12Beadle County461+0.7%
13Union County438+4.5%
14Lake County315-2.8%
15Butte County274-0.4%
16Clay County271-1.1%
17Grant County253+2%
18Charles Mix County230+1.8%
19Custer County229+4.6%
20Turner County197-1.5%
21Brule County195+1%
22Roberts County191+3.8%
23Hutchinson County189-2.1%
24Walworth County184-0.5%
25Fall River County1810%
26Tripp County173+4.8%
27Day County162+0.6%
27Gregory County162+1.3%
29Hamlin County160-1.8%
30McCook County157+0.6%
31Spink County148+0.7%
32Moody County145-0.7%
33Bon Homme County142+0.7%
34Marshall County132+4.8%
35Kingsbury County131+1.6%
36Clark County108+4.9%
36Edmunds County108+2.9%
38Hand County104+1%
39Deuel County103-5.5%
40Perkins County99-6.6%
41Stanley County95-3.1%
42Potter County890%
43Douglas County88+4.8%
44Dewey County83-2.4%
45Hanson County75-1.3%
46Aurora County69+3%
46Jerauld County69+1.5%
48Haakon County68-5.6%
49Miner County660%
50Oglala Lakota County61-7.6%
51Faulk County60-1.6%
51McPherson County60+1.7%
53Sully County57+5.6%
54Lyman County54-6.9%
55Todd County530%
56Bennett County49-12.5%
57Sanborn County48+2.1%
58Campbell County46-4.2%
58Jackson County46+2.2%
60Harding County43+2.4%
61Hyde County410%
61Jones County41+7.9%
63Corson County34-2.9%
64Mellette County21+5%
65Ziebach County19-9.5%
66Buffalo County9+12.5%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/south-dakota-counties?period=2019.
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 4,400 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Buffalo County, with 9 in 2019.

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