How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
South Dakota gained 400 jobs in April 2026, ranking it 39th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 535 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+400

month to month change in number of jobs (April 2026)

39th

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
South Dakota’s job gain of 400 April 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 200 loss in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), South Dakota gained jobs in 39 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 29th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in June 2023 (+2,900) while job growth was weakest in June 2024 (-1,500).

There were 400 more jobs in April 2026 in South Dakota than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which South Dakota sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in April 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were health care and social assistance, durable goods, and state government. Health care and social assistance added 200,000 jobs, more than the entire economy. Durable goods gained 100,000 jobs, while state government added 100,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector gained 200 jobs during April 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in South Dakota (April 2026)

How does South Dakota's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 8 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 292, and the smallest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as 17th-highest in job growth since 2024.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 817 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,100 on average every month in 2022.

In 2025, South Dakota gained an average of 8 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among two metro areas primarily in South Dakota during April 2026 ranged from a gain of 0 jobs in the Rapid City, SD area to a gain of 200 jobs in the Sioux Falls, SD area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within South Dakota

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.