Sioux Falls Jobless Rate Falls to 1.7 Percent
The Sioux Falls metro area regained a place among the lowest unemployment rates in the nation in September.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Employment
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Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Bismarck, North Dakota each posted a jobless rate of 1.7 percent in September, down from 2.2 percent in the Sioux Falls metro area in August. The Sioux Falls metro had 2,920 unemployed people in September, compared with 3,872 in August.
Why it matters
The drop puts the Sioux Falls metro among the lowest jobless rates in the country, signaling a tight local labor market. Job openings in the metro rose to 10,617 in September, giving job seekers more options.
The Sioux Falls metro's jobless rate was 1.7 percent in September, down from 2.2 percent in August and 1.8 percent a year earlier, with 2,920 unemployed out of a labor force of 174,967. The figures are preliminary and not seasonally adjusted, and the data does not show how much of the decline reflects seasonal hiring.
The players
Sioux Falls Job Service
The state-run employment office that hosts weekly Career Connect hiring events to match job seekers with local employers.
The details
The jobless rate counts residents who have no job, have actively looked for work in the past four weeks and are available to work, including those laid off temporarily. South Dakota's statewide unemployment rate was 2 percent in September, compared with a national rate of 4.2 percent.
Timeline
August 2025: Sioux Falls metro jobless rate was 1.8 percent.
August 2026: Sioux Falls metro jobless rate climbed to 2.2 percent.
September 2026: Sioux Falls metro jobless rate fell to 1.7 percent.
Nov. 5, 2026: Sanford Health Career Connect hiring event.
Nov. 25, 2026: A&B Business Solutions Career Connect hiring event.
Economic Context
The metro's 1.7 percent rate ties it with Rapid City and Bismarck, and sits well below the national rate of 4.2 percent reported for September. Cleveland's 1.8 percent rate in August was the lowest among the comparison metros that month.
Job seekers in the Sioux Falls area can attend Career Connect hiring events, including a Sanford Health session on Nov. 5 and an A&B Business Solutions session on Nov. 25. With 10,617 openings in the metro, applicants have more employers to compare.
The takeaway
A low jobless rate means fewer people are looking for work, so employers may compete harder for applicants. Residents weighing a job change should check current openings before the November hiring events.
Further reading
For more on local openings, see Employment coverage for Sioux Falls.
More information
View open positions before the November events on South Dakota Works.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SiouxFalls.
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