Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid

Minnehaha County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 66 counties in 2018, at $6.49 billion. Mellette County had the lowest, at $10.51 million. The median was $70.61 million and the figure for South Dakota was $19.83 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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Highest6,490.1Minnehaha County
Lowest10.5Mellette County
Median70.666 counties
South Dakota19,827.9History

Map of counties, 2018

Aurora County: 30.4 USD millionBeadle County: 374.6 USD millionBennett County: 31.5 USD millionBon Homme County: 64.5 USD millionBrookings County: 853 USD millionBrown County: 947.6 USD millionBrule County: 73.4 USD millionBuffalo County: 22.3 USD millionButte County: 104.7 USD millionCampbell County: 18.2 USD millionCharles Mix County: 123.5 USD millionClark County: 37 USD millionClay County: 242.7 USD millionCodington County: 677.9 USD millionCorson County: 35.4 USD millionCuster County: 91.8 USD millionDavison County: 519.5 USD millionDay County: 71.6 USD millionDeuel County: 59.1 USD millionDewey County: 90.8 USD millionDouglas County: 42.6 USD millionEdmunds County: 48.2 USD millionFall River County: 113.1 USD millionFaulk County: 25.8 USD millionGrant County: 163.8 USD millionGregory County: 51.6 USD millionHaakon County: 34.6 USD millionHamlin County: 83.5 USD millionHand County: 55.5 USD millionHanson County: 27.1 USD millionHarding County: 22 USD millionHughes County: 493.7 USD millionHutchinson County: 102 USD millionHyde County: 22.5 USD millionJackson County: 26.2 USD millionJerauld County: 55.2 USD millionJones County: 14.9 USD millionKingsbury County: 69.7 USD millionLake County: 222.8 USD millionLawrence County: 458.2 USD millionLincoln County: 1,243.4 USD millionLyman County: 47 USD millionMcCook County: 53.9 USD millionMcPherson County: 20.6 USD millionMarshall County: 66.1 USD millionMeade County: 346.3 USD millionMellette County: 10.5 USD millionMiner County: 26.6 USD millionMinnehaha County: 6,490.1 USD millionMoody County: 90.1 USD millionOglala Lakota County: 168 USD millionPennington County: 2,746.7 USD millionPerkins County: 40.4 USD millionPotter County: 34.2 USD millionRoberts County: 133.3 USD millionSanborn County: 20.5 USD millionSpink County: 96.3 USD millionStanley County: 49.6 USD millionSully County: 24.6 USD millionTodd County: 116.5 USD millionTripp County: 84 USD millionTurner County: 81.6 USD millionUnion County: 557.4 USD millionWalworth County: 82.2 USD millionYankton County: 583.8 USD millionZiebach County: 11.5 USD million
  • Under 30
  • 30 to 50
  • 50 to 70
  • 70 to 100
  • 100 to 390
  • 390 and over
USD million, 2018. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Minnehaha County: 6,490.1 USD millionMinnehaha County6,490.1Pennington County: 2,746.7 USD millionPennington County2,746.7Lincoln County: 1,243.4 USD millionLincoln County1,243.4Brown County: 947.6 USD millionBrown County947.6Brookings County: 853 USD millionBrookings County853Codington County: 677.9 USD millionCodington County677.9Yankton County: 583.8 USD millionYankton County583.8Union County: 557.4 USD millionUnion County557.4Davison County: 519.5 USD millionDavison County519.5Hughes County: 493.7 USD millionHughes County493.7Lawrence County: 458.2 USD millionLawrence County458.2Beadle County: 374.6 USD millionBeadle County374.6Meade County: 346.3 USD millionMeade County346.3Clay County: 242.7 USD millionClay County242.7Lake County: 222.8 USD millionLake County222.8Oglala Lakota County: 168 USD millionOglala Lakota County168Grant County: 163.8 USD millionGrant County163.8Roberts County: 133.3 USD millionRoberts County133.3Charles Mix County: 123.5 USD millionCharles Mix County123.5Todd County: 116.5 USD millionTodd County116.5Fall River County: 113.1 USD millionFall River County113.1Butte County: 104.7 USD millionButte County104.7Hutchinson County: 102 USD millionHutchinson County102Spink County: 96.3 USD millionSpink County96.3Custer County: 91.8 USD millionCuster County91.8Dewey County: 90.8 USD millionDewey County90.8Moody County: 90.1 USD millionMoody County90.1Tripp County: 84 USD millionTripp County84Hamlin County: 83.5 USD millionHamlin County83.5Walworth County: 82.2 USD millionWalworth County82.2Turner County: 81.6 USD millionTurner County81.6Brule County: 73.4 USD millionBrule County73.4Day County: 71.6 USD millionDay County71.6Kingsbury County: 69.7 USD millionKingsbury County69.7Marshall County: 66.1 USD millionMarshall County66.1Bon Homme County: 64.5 USD millionBon Homme County64.5Deuel County: 59.1 USD millionDeuel County59.1Hand County: 55.5 USD millionHand County55.5Jerauld County: 55.2 USD millionJerauld County55.2McCook County: 53.9 USD millionMcCook County53.9Minnehaha County: 6,490.1 USD millionMinnehaha County6,490.1Pennington County: 2,746.7 USD millionPennington County2,746.7Lincoln County: 1,243.4 USD millionLincoln County1,243.4Brown County: 947.6 USD millionBrown County947.6Brookings County: 853 USD millionBrookings County853Codington County: 677.9 USD millionCodington County677.9Yankton County: 583.8 USD millionYankton County583.8Union County: 557.4 USD millionUnion County557.4Davison County: 519.5 USD millionDavison County519.5Hughes County: 493.7 USD millionHughes County493.7Lawrence County: 458.2 USD millionLawrence County458.2Beadle County: 374.6 USD millionBeadle County374.6Meade County: 346.3 USD millionMeade County346.3Clay County: 242.7 USD millionClay County242.7Lake County: 222.8 USD millionLake County222.8Oglala Lakota County: 168 USD millionOglala Lakota County168Grant County: 163.8 USD millionGrant County163.8Roberts County: 133.3 USD millionRoberts County133.3Charles Mix County: 123.5 USD millionCharles Mix County123.5Todd County: 116.5 USD millionTodd County116.5Fall River County: 113.1 USD millionFall River County113.1Butte County: 104.7 USD millionButte County104.7Hutchinson County: 102 USD millionHutchinson County102Spink County: 96.3 USD millionSpink County96.3Custer County: 91.8 USD millionCuster County91.8Dewey County: 90.8 USD millionDewey County90.8Moody County: 90.1 USD millionMoody County90.1Tripp County: 84 USD millionTripp County84Hamlin County: 83.5 USD millionHamlin County83.5Walworth County: 82.2 USD millionWalworth County82.2Turner County: 81.6 USD millionTurner County81.6Brule County: 73.4 USD millionBrule County73.4Day County: 71.6 USD millionDay County71.6Kingsbury County: 69.7 USD millionKingsbury County69.7Marshall County: 66.1 USD millionMarshall County66.1Bon Homme County: 64.5 USD millionBon Homme County64.5Deuel County: 59.1 USD millionDeuel County59.1Hand County: 55.5 USD millionHand County55.5Jerauld County: 55.2 USD millionJerauld County55.2McCook County: 53.9 USD millionMcCook County53.9
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
USD million
Change on 2017
1Minnehaha County6,490.1+3.8%
2Pennington County2,746.7+3.1%
3Lincoln County1,243.4+9.5%
4Brown County947.6+3.5%
5Brookings County853+3.8%
6Codington County677.9+5.1%
7Yankton County583.8+6.9%
8Union County557.4+1.4%
9Davison County519.5+3.5%
10Hughes County493.7+1.3%
11Lawrence County458.2+5.2%
12Beadle County374.6+5.6%
13Meade County346.3+4.2%
14Clay County242.7+4%
15Lake County222.8+7.7%
16Oglala Lakota County168+2.8%
17Grant County163.8+2.5%
18Roberts County133.3+4%
19Charles Mix County123.5+2.3%
20Todd County116.5+2.8%
21Fall River County113.1+4.5%
22Butte County104.7+3.2%
23Hutchinson County102+4.4%
24Spink County96.3+2.4%
25Custer County91.8+4.8%
26Dewey County90.8+2.6%
27Moody County90.1+4.9%
28Tripp County84+3.5%
29Hamlin County83.5+14.2%
30Walworth County82.2+1%
31Turner County81.6+0.7%
32Brule County73.4+5.8%
33Day County71.6+2.6%
34Kingsbury County69.7+3.6%
35Marshall County66.1+4.5%
36Bon Homme County64.5-0.2%
37Deuel County59.1-1.4%
38Hand County55.5+2.2%
39Jerauld County55.2-3.7%
40McCook County53.9+5.1%
41Gregory County51.6+3.4%
42Stanley County49.6+0.4%
43Edmunds County48.2-1.7%
44Lyman County47-0.2%
45Douglas County42.6+0.8%
46Perkins County40.4-3.5%
47Clark County37+1.1%
48Corson County35.4+3%
49Haakon County34.60%
50Potter County34.2+3.4%
51Bennett County31.5+0.1%
52Aurora County30.4+4.8%
53Hanson County27.1+6%
54Miner County26.6+1.6%
55Jackson County26.2+1.1%
56Faulk County25.8+4.8%
57Sully County24.6+1.5%
58Hyde County22.5+1.6%
59Buffalo County22.3+3.6%
60Harding County22+6.1%
61McPherson County20.6-3.2%
62Sanborn County20.5+1.3%
63Campbell County18.2-5.2%
64Jones County14.9+0.7%
65Ziebach County11.5+4.6%
66Mellette County10.5+1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_south_dakota_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in South Dakota by wages and salaries paid, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/south-dakota-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Minnehaha County, with $6.49 billion in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Mellette County, with $10.51 million in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings