SDBOR Labor Force Dashboard
South Dakota’s long-term economic prospects are tied directly to the size and quality of the state’s labor force. Without an adequate pool of skilled workers, economic growth cannot occur. Accordingly, the South Dakota public university system actively monitors a number of state labor force indicators in an effort to better understand – and respond to – major labor market trends in South Dakota.
The SDBOR Labor Force Dashboard offers an interactive summary of major economic indicators in South Dakota. Specifically, the dashboard presents historical data for a range of measures related to the state’s labor force, including employment, establishments, and earnings. To the extent allowed by the underlying data sources, the dashboard provides data for several levels of geography, including cities, counties, and statewide totals. All data are reported directly from two federal economic data programs conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) – This program produces a number of quarterly employment tabulations for national, state, and substate populations. QCEW counts are based on a census of establishment data on UI-eligible and UCFE-eligible workers, representing roughly 98% of workers in the United States. Some data may be suppressed to avoid disclosure of identifiable information. Military, self-employed, and unpaid workers are excluded.
- Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) – This program produces a limited number of monthly labor market estimates for states and substate areas in the United States. LAUS estimates are not generated from a single survey, but rather emerge from the triangulation of several data sources, including the Current Population Survey, the Current Employment Statistics program, the QCEW, and other administrative data. Data reflect estimates for the non-institutional civilian labor force, age 16 and over. Data are not seasonally adjusted.
Data from the most recent year indicate that:
- LAUS data show that South Dakota’s labor force has grown steadily, rising from 412,778 workers in 2001 to 453,069 workers in 2016.
- QCEW data indicate that South Dakota’s economy is becoming increasingly knowledge-based. From 2001 to 2016, employment in private “service-providing” firms increased by 18.1 percent, while employment in private “goods-producing” firms rose by only 12.9 percent.
Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Notes:
- Some data are not available for all geographies. Within each data source, the dashboard provides all available estimates for each geography.
- “LQ” indicators show “location quotients” for selected industry-ownership combinations. LQs greater than 1.00 suggest that a particular indicator is comparatively greater in a given geography than in the US as a whole; LQs below 1.00 suggest values that are comparatively low (relative to the nation).
- Indicator descriptions:
- QCEW:
- Establishments: Annual average of quarterly establishment counts
- Employment: Annual average of monthly employment levels
- Average Annual Wages: Average annual pay based on employment and wage levels
- Average Weekly Wages: Average weekly wage based on 12-month employment levels and total annual wage levels
- LAUS:
- Labor Force: Total civilian labor force
- Employed: Total number of people employed
- Unemployed: Total number of people unemployed
- Unemployment Rate: Number unemployed divided by total labor force
