Unemployment rate in Sioux Falls MSA reaches 10.6 percent

June 3, 2020

The unemployment rate for the Sioux Falls MSA was 10.6 percent in April, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.

That’s a dramatic increase from a year ago when the unemployment rate was 2.8 percent.

April’s data, which is not seasonally adjusted, is the first month to reflect the layoffs caused by businesses that began to close temporarily in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The March unemployment rate was 3 percent.

The Sioux Falls MSA unemployment rate mirrors the record 10.2 percent rate for South Dakota, which was released in mid-May and is seasonally adjusted.

According to the Labor Market Information Center, 16,473 people living in the Sioux Falls MSA, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties, were out of work in April. That compares with 4,362 residents a year ago.

In the Sioux Falls MSA, the leisure and hospitality industry saw the biggest change. The number of workers in that category declined by 49.4 percent compared with a year ago. Also seeing a double-digit drop was retail trade at 13.6 percent.

In just the city of Sioux Falls, the unemployment rate was 11.7 percent, compared with 2.9 percent a year ago.

Here’s a look at unemployment rates for other cities:

  • Rapid City, 14.3 percent.
  • Aberdeen, 11.6 percent.
  • Brandon, 8.2 percent.
  • Brookings, 9 percent.
  • Huron, 7.6 percent.
  • Mitchell 8.9 percent.
  • Pierre, 8.2 percent.
  • Spearfish, 18.7 percent.
  • Vermillion, 9 percent.
  • Watertown, 14 percent.
  • Yankton, 13.1 percent.

A year ago, those rates ranged from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.

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Unemployment rate in Sioux Falls MSA reaches 10.6 percent

The unemployment rate for the Sioux Falls MSA was 10.6 percent in April, compared with 2.8 percent a year ago.

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