Learn the Facts about our Strong Workforce
Rushmore Region: Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties of South Dakota.
Labor Force Statistics
2016 Labor Force Statistics (Yearly Average)
| Labor Force | Employment | Unemployment | Rate |
| 93,660 | 91,156 | 2,504 | 2.7% |
Source: SD Department of Labor. Data collected September 2016
Proportion of Adults Working
Rushmore Region
| 2000 | 2010 - 2014 | 2015 | |
| Proportion of adults working, 16-64 |
72.0% | 74.7% | 77.8% |
| Number of adults who are employed, 16-64 |
76,265 | 84,621 | 84,139 |
| Civilian population, 16-64 |
105,889 | 113,264 | 108.168 |
South Dakota
| 2000 | 2010 - 2014 | 2015 | |
| Number of adults who are employed, 16-64 |
76.4% | 76.3% | 79.0% |
| Number of adults who are employed, 16-64 |
355,562 | 393,566 | 395,854 |
| Civilian population, 16-64 |
465,662 | 515,817 | 500,803 |
Source: American FactFinder. Data collected Dec. 14, 2016.
Labor Supply
Rushmore Region 2016
Rapid City MSA (Pennington, Custer and Meade counties): 7,885
Butte County: 465
Lawrence County: 1,695
Fall River County: 420
Total Rushmore Region: 10,465
Source: SD Department of Labor. Data collected Dec. 14, 2016.
Number of Non-Farm Wage and Salaried Workers
| Industry | 2015 | 2016 |
| Rapid City MSA | 67,100 | 68,600 |
| Total Private | 56,00 | 60,700 |
| Goods Producing | 7,400 | 7,900 |
| Service Providing | 59,700 | 60,700 |
| Private Service Providing | 48,700 | 49,100 |
| Mining / Logging / Construction | 4,400 | 5,100 |
| Manufacturing | 2,900 | 2,800 |
| Trade / Transportation / Utilities | 13,400 | 13,600 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2,400 | 2,400 |
| Retail Trade | 9,500 | 9,400 |
| Transportation / Warehousing / Utilities | 1,700 | 1,800 |
| Information | 1,00 | 900 |
| Financial Activities | 4,300 | 4,000 |
| Professional / Businesss / Services | 5,400 | 5,100 |
| Education / Health Services | 11,000 | 11,200 |
| Leisure / Hospitality | 10,400 | 11,200 |
| Other Services | 3,100 | 3,100 |
| Government | 11,100 | 11,600 |
Source: SD Department of Labor. Collected Dec. 14, 2016.
Annual Pay of Covered Workers by Industry
Rapid City MSA
Reference date for annual pay is 2015
| Industry | Number of Workers | Percent of Total | Annual Pay |
| Natural Resources/Mining | 227 | 0.3% | $35,620 |
| Construction | 4,668 | 7.2% | $43,221 |
| Manufacturing | 2,898 | 4.5% | $33,998 |
| Trade / Transportation / Utilities | 13,710 | 21.1% | $30,876 |
| Information | 878 | 1.4% | $44,844 |
| Financial Activities | 3,943 | 6.1% | $46,924 |
| Professional / Business Services | 4,988 | 7.7% | $51,158 |
| Education / Health Services | 10,539 | 16.2% | $48,562 |
| Leisure / Hospitality Services | 9,981 | 15.4% | $17,290 |
| Other Services | 2,311 | 3.6% | $29,116 |
| Total Government | 10,776 | 16.6% | $44,638 |
Statewide
Reference date for annual pay is 2015
| Industry | Number of Workers | Percent of Total | Annual Pay |
| Natural Resources/Mining | 6,215 | 1.5% | $40,451 |
| Construction | 22,201 | 5.3% | $44,996 |
| Manufacturing | 42,832 | 10.2% | $45,434 |
| Trade / Transportation / Utilities | 86,554 | 20.8% | $37,043 |
| Information | 5,884 | 1.4% | $45,850 |
| Financial Activities | 29,160 | 7.0% | $53,5056 |
| Professional / Business Services | 30,672 | 7.4% | $51,000 |
| Education / Health Services | 63,950 | 15.4% | $46,835 |
| Leisure / Hospitality Services | 46,137 | 11.1% | $15,565 |
| Other Services | 10,712 | 2.6% | $29,691 |
| Total Government | 71,939 | 17.3% | $40,297 |
Source: SD Department of Labor. Data collected Dec. 14, 2016.
Quarterly Occupational Wage Data
Updated to quarter ending September 2015
| Occupation | Rapid City MSA Avg | West River SD Avg |
| Accountants and Auditors | $30.03 | $28.05 |
| Bookkeeping Accounting & Auditing Clerks | $15.78 | $14.73 |
| Cashiers | $9.62 | $9.33 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $12.92 | $14.45 |
| First-Line Supervisors / Managers of Production & Operating Workers | $27.84 | $30.66 |
| Laborers and Freight Stock and Material Movers Hand | $11.43 | $10.33 |
| Packers and Packagers Hand | $9.24 | $9.33 |
| Retail Salespersons | $12.92 | $13.78 |
| Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | $11.72 | $10.11 |
| Welders Cutters Solderers and Brazers | $16.29 | $17.40 |
Source: SD Department of Labor.
Number of Job Seekers Registered within the Rushmore Region
| Occupation | Area Total | Percentage of Total |
| Architecture & Engineering | 231 | 1.04% |
| Arts Design Entertainment Sports & Media | 453 | 2.03% |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance | 1,518 | 6.80% |
| Business & Financial Operations | 628 | 2.81% |
| Community & Social Services | 572 | 2.56% |
| Computer and Mathematical | 310 | 1.39% |
| Construction & Extraction | 1,904 | 8.53% |
| Education Training & Library | 497 | 2.17% |
| Farming Fishing & Forestry | 485 | 2.17% |
| Food Preparation & Serving Related | 1,890 | 8.47% |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical | 323 | 1.45% |
| Healthcare Support | 762 | 3.42% |
| Installation Maintenance & Repair | 965 | 4.33% |
| Legal | 119 | 0.53% |
| Life Physical & Social Science | 201 | 0.90% |
| Management | 1,334 | 5.98% |
| Office & Administrative Support | 3,331 | 14.93% |
| Personal Care & Service | 609 | 2.73% |
| Production | 1,343 | 6.02% |
| Protective Service | 989 | 4.43% |
| Sales & Related | 2,258 | 10.12% |
| Transportation & Material Moving | 1,609 | 7.21% |
| Total Job Applicants | 22,311 | 100.0% |
Source: SD Department of Labor. Data collected Dec. 14, 2016
