Employment Indicators for South Dakota (2024)

Total Employed

461,290
Civilian 16+

Private For-Profit

64.5 %
Largest Sector

Self-Employed

7.9%
Entrepreneurship

Government

15.8%
Public Sector

South Dakota Workforce by Sector & Gender

Employment sector breakdown by gender in
Figure 1: Male vs Female participation in employment sectors (2024).

South Dakota Employment Sector Breakdown

SectorTotal WorkersPercentage
Private For-Profit297,33964.5%
Government72,88915.8%
Self-Employed36,2937.9%
Private Non-Profit53,81911.7%

South Dakota Gender Ratio Analysis by Employment Sector (2024)

SectorMale:Female Ratio
Private For-Profit1.35:1
Government0.76:1
Self-Employed2.22:1

South Dakota Employment Trends (2010–2024)

Long-term employment trends in

South Dakota Historical Employment Sector Trends

YearPrivateGovSelf-EmpNon-Profit
202464.5%15.8%7.9%11.7%
202364.7%15.7%8.0%11.3%
202265.0%15.4%8.0%11.4%
202165.5%15.2%7.9%11.1%
202065.6%15.5%7.9%10.6%
201965.7%15.0%8.0%10.9%
201865.9%14.8%7.9%11.0%
201765.8%14.9%8.1%10.9%
201665.4%15.1%8.2%11.0%
201564.8%15.5%8.2%11.2%
201464.2%16.0%8.4%11.2%
201363.8%16.2%8.6%11.1%
201263.3%16.4%8.7%11.2%
201163.5%16.3%9.0%10.8%
201063.9%16.0%9.4%10.3%

Employment Sector FAQs for South Dakota

The largest employment sector in South Dakota is Private For-Profit, which employs 64.5% of the local workforce.

There are approximately 461,290 civilian workers aged 16 and over currently employed in South Dakota.

In the private for-profit sector, the male-to-female ratio is 1.35:1. This metric helps highlight gender participation across the most prominent industry classes.

Yes, the non-profit sector is notable in South Dakota, accounting for 11.7% of all workers.

Since 2010, the total number of workers in South Dakota has shown an increase, moving from 410,156 to 461,290 according to Census Bureau records.