Oct. 23, 2020

Unemployment figures in the Sioux Falls area continue to head in a positive direction.

The jobless rate dropped to 3.4 percent for September, compared with 4.3 percent in August.

That represents 5,245 people who are looking for work, according to preliminary data from the Labor Market Information Center.

In September 2019, the unemployment rate was 2.6 percent. The figure climbed to 10.5 percent in April as businesses shut down because of the pandemic.

From August to September, nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls area dropped by 900 people. The largest decline was in the leisure and hospitality industry, which dropped 3.9 percent, a loss of 600 workers. The financial sector lost 200 workers, a 1.3 percent drop. The biggest gain at 2.2 percent was in the government sector with 300 additional workers.

The state’s jobless rate also is improving. The seasonally adjusted figure was 4.1 percent in September, compared with 4.8 percent in August. That represents 19,100 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. The rate was 3.4 percent in September 2019.

Here’s a look at not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for other cities in September.

• Rapid City MSA, 4.2 percent
• Aberdeen, 3.8 percent
• Brandon, 3 percent
• Brookings, 3.4 percent
• Huron, 3.6 percent
• Mitchell, 5.1 percent
• Pierre, 2.7 percent
• Spearfish, 3.6 percent
• Vermillion, 3.4 percent
• Watertown, 4.2 percent
• Yankton, 4.4 percent

A year ago, those rates ranged from 2.4 percent to 3.2 percent.

Mitchell was the only city with a higher unemployment rate compared with the previous month. It was 4.1 percent in August.

The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate in September was 7.9 percent, down from 8.4 percent in August. A year ago it was 3.5 percent.