Location Map
Commercial Real Estate Search
Commercial Real Estate Snapshot
Workforce/Labor
Labor Survey
Housing
Education, Training, & Schools
Incentives
Transportation
Workforce/Labor
One important resource that a new or expanding business desires is a readily available workforce. Whether the demand is for five or 150 workers, you need to know that there will be a sufficient number of workers available. While we have enjoyed a healthy unemployment rate that has averaged half the national average for the past decade, we still have good workers, trained and ready to go to work. The eagerness of Rapid City's labor force to work is evident in the number of applicants for openings when new businesses develop or locate in Rapid City. The figures below have been provided by South Dakota Department of Labor who handled the applications for all of the businesses listed. Some of these businesses used no advertising for applicants. The prospect of the type of employment these businesses would provide was all that was needed to spur the highly motivated Rapid City labor force to seek employment in their organizations.
|
DATE |
APPS |
# OF POSITIONS |
UNEMPLOYMENT |
TYPE OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11 | 284 | 45 | 5.6% | Retail |
| July 10 | 279 | 100 | 4.3% | Restaurant |
| January10 | 586 | 120 | 5.6% | Restaurant |
| Oct 09 | 750 | 31 | 4.5% | Manufacturing |
| July 09 | 170 | 16 | 4.5% | Retail |
| Dec 08 | 289 | 44 | 4.0% | Retail |
| Aug 08 | Referrred 904 | 45 | 2.8% | Retail |
| July 08 | Referrred 635 | 38 | 2.5% | Retail |
| May - June 08 | Referrred 266 | 8 | 2.6% | Retail |
| May - Aug 06 | Referrred 2200 | 250 | 2.7% | Call Center |
| Oct - Nov 05 | 225 | 35 | 3.5% | Security |
| January 05 | 847 | 150 | 4.20% | Retail |
| Sept. 03 - Oct. 03 | 2000 | 110 | 3.4% | Retail |
| Aug. 02 - Nov. 02 | 1585 | 167 | 2.3% | Retail |
| June 02 | 460 | 125 | 2.6% | Restaurant |
| Sept. 01 - Dec. 01 | 600 | 15-20 | 2.5% | Construction |
| Sept. 00 - Spring 01 | 2500 | 30-50 | 1.5% | Manufacturing |
| May 00 - Aug. 00 | 160 | 15-20 | 2.1% | Manuafacturing |
| July 00 - Aug. 00 | Referred 320 | Expansion | Call Center | |
| July 99 - June 00 | Referred 760 | Expansion | Call Center | |
| Feb 00 | 500 | 40 | 2.7% | Retail |
| Nov. 99 | 125 | 2 FT & 4 PT | 2.3% | Financial |
| Sept. 98 | 106 | 14 | 1.7% | Call Center |
| Oct. 98 | 686 | 73 | 1.8% | Call Center |
| Feb. 98 | 1000+ | 3.0% | Retail |
Labor Analysis - April 2011
Source: Labor Bulletin
| Total Work Force in MSA | 65,885 |
| Employed | 62,610 |
| Unemployed | 3,275 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.0% |
| Manufacturing Workers in Union | less than 1% |
| Right-to-work Law | Yes |
| Work stoppages in last 10 years | None |
Labor Force & Availability
- Average age of available work force is 41, compares to a national average of 47.
- Available area labor force is projected to be 81,805
- Workers are willing to consider a wide range of fields. The top three types of businesses the labor force indicates it would like to work for are financial services, software development, and retail.
- Black Hills workers are well-educated. 96% have at least high school educations, 20% hold Bachelors degrees, and nearly 7% have advanced degrees.
- Over half the available labor force respondents in the Rapid City labor market are indicated they would commute an average of twenty miles one way for employment. Nearly 20% would commute 40 miles.
Source: Rapid City MSA Labor Market Report 06/02.
The graph below represents the maximum distance residents are willing to commute.
Source: Rapid City MSA Labor Market Report 01/06
Covered Workers Annual Information by Industry
Rapid City MSA Community Labor Profile 2009
|
|
Annual Pay |
|
Natural Resources & Mining |
$31,287 |
|
Construction |
$37,443 |
|
Manufacturing |
$39,136 |
|
Trade, Transportation, Utilities |
$29,775 |
|
Information |
$38,797 |
|
Financial Activities |
$37,536 |
|
Professional & Business Services |
$36,297 |
|
Education & Health Services |
$40,603 |
|
Leisure & Hospitality |
$13,581 |
|
Other Services |
$25,004 |
|
Government |
$39,810 |
Rapid City MSA Labor Force History
Year
Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Rate
1990
40,348
38,907
1,441
3.6%
2000
48,250
27,295
955
2.0%
2001
48,045
46,935
1,175
2.3%
2002
49,601
48,140
1,470
3.0%
2003
49,695
48,080
1,615
3.2%
2004
50,275
49,535
1,740
3.5%
2005
63,510
60,850
2,660
4.2%
2006
64,750
62,740
2,010
3.1%
2007
65,260
63,315
1,945
3.0%
2008
65,855
63,195
2,660
4.0%
2009
65,810
62,435
3,375
5.1%
2010
66,650
63,450
3,200
4.8%
County
Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Rate
Custer
4,475
4,255
220
4.90%
Lawrence
13,460
12,795
665
4.90%
Meade
11,820
11,205
615
5.20%
Pennington
54,065
51,405
2,660
4.90%
The preceding tables include the following Counties: Custer, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington
Source Data: SD Department of Labor http://www.state.sd.us/dol/lmic