Counties in South Dakota by unemployment rate

Oglala Lakota County had the highest unemployment rate of 66 counties in November 2025, at 5.8%. Sully County had the lowest, at 1.6%. The median was 2.1% and the figure for South Dakota was 2.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lowest1.6Sully County
Median2.166 counties
South Dakota2.2History

Top 40 counties, November 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Oglala Lakota CountyOglala Lakota County: 5.8 %5.8Todd CountyTodd County: 5.8 %5.8Jackson CountyJackson County: 5 %5Dewey CountyDewey County: 4.9 %4.9Corson CountyCorson County: 4.6 %4.6Buffalo CountyBuffalo County: 4.3 %4.3Roberts CountyRoberts County: 3.2 %3.2Bennett CountyBennett County: 3.1 %3.1Mellette CountyMellette County: 3.1 %3.1Jones CountyJones County: 3 %3Fall River CountyFall River County: 2.9 %2.9Potter CountyPotter County: 2.9 %2.9Campbell CountyCampbell County: 2.8 %2.8Hanson CountyHanson County: 2.8 %2.8Walworth CountyWalworth County: 2.7 %2.7Ziebach CountyZiebach County: 2.7 %2.7Clay CountyClay County: 2.5 %2.5Custer CountyCuster County: 2.5 %2.5Lyman CountyLyman County: 2.5 %2.5Grant CountyGrant County: 2.4 %2.4Bon Homme CountyBon Homme County: 2.3 %2.3Brookings CountyBrookings County: 2.3 %2.3Charles Mix CountyCharles Mix County: 2.3 %2.3Day CountyDay County: 2.3 %2.3Moody CountyMoody County: 2.3 %2.3Douglas CountyDouglas County: 2.2 %2.2Kingsbury CountyKingsbury County: 2.2 %2.2Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 2.2 %2.2McPherson CountyMcPherson County: 2.2 %2.2Pennington CountyPennington County: 2.2 %2.2Perkins CountyPerkins County: 2.2 %2.2Union CountyUnion County: 2.2 %2.2Beadle CountyBeadle County: 2.1 %2.1Brown CountyBrown County: 2.1 %2.1Marshall CountyMarshall County: 2.1 %2.1Minnehaha CountyMinnehaha County: 2.1 %2.1Spink CountySpink County: 2.1 %2.1Butte CountyButte County: 2 %2Codington CountyCodington County: 2 %2Deuel CountyDeuel County: 2 %2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesNovember 2025 (%)Change on November 2024
1Oglala Lakota County5.8+0.7 pts
1Todd County5.8+1.2 pts
3Jackson County5+1.3 pts
4Dewey County4.9+1.2 pts
5Corson County4.6+1.6 pts
6Buffalo County4.3-1.4 pts
7Roberts County3.2+0.9 pts
8Bennett County3.1+0.1 pts
8Mellette County3.1-0.1 pts
10Jones County3+0.7 pts
11Fall River County2.9+1.1 pts
11Potter County2.9+0.8 pts
13Campbell County2.80 pts
13Hanson County2.8+0.8 pts
15Walworth County2.7+0.6 pts
15Ziebach County2.70 pts
17Clay County2.5+0.5 pts
17Custer County2.5+0.1 pts
17Lyman County2.5+0.6 pts
20Grant County2.4+0.4 pts
21Bon Homme County2.3+0.3 pts
21Brookings County2.3+0.4 pts
21Charles Mix County2.3+0.4 pts
21Day County2.3+0.6 pts
21Moody County2.3+0.3 pts
26Douglas County2.2+0.6 pts
26Kingsbury County2.2+0.5 pts
26Lawrence County2.2+0.4 pts
26McPherson County2.2+0.1 pts
26Pennington County2.2+0.3 pts
26Perkins County2.2+0.7 pts
26Union County2.2+0.3 pts
33Beadle County2.1+0.4 pts
33Brown County2.1+0.3 pts
33Marshall County2.1+0.7 pts
33Minnehaha County2.1+0.5 pts
33Spink County2.1+0.4 pts
38Butte County2+0.3 pts
38Codington County2+0.4 pts
38Deuel County2+0.3 pts
38Hutchinson County2+0.5 pts
38McCook County2+0.3 pts
38Meade County2+0.3 pts
38Turner County2+0.2 pts
45Aurora County1.9+0.2 pts
45Brule County1.9+0.6 pts
45Clark County1.9+0.1 pts
45Davison County1.9+0.3 pts
45Edmunds County1.9+0.2 pts
45Gregory County1.9+0.3 pts
45Haakon County1.9+0.2 pts
45Hughes County1.9+0.4 pts
45Jerauld County1.9+0.2 pts
45Lincoln County1.9+0.4 pts
45Miner County1.9-0.7 pts
45Yankton County1.9+0.4 pts
57Harding County1.80 pts
57Lake County1.8+0.3 pts
57Tripp County1.8+0.4 pts
60Hamlin County1.7+0.1 pts
60Hand County1.70 pts
60Hyde County1.7+0.1 pts
60Stanley County1.7+0.4 pts
64Faulk County1.6-0.1 pts
64Sanborn County1.6-0.1 pts
64Sully County1.6-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Oglala Lakota County, with 5.8% in November 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Sully County, with 1.6% in November 2025.

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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings