The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Pennington County is a county of South Dakota with 113,512 residents. Its economy produced $8,688 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 66 counties) and had 62,114 jobs with an average annual pay of $57,286 (#5 for pay). The unemployment rate was 1.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Rapid City, SD metropolitan area (central county).
Pennington County produced about $8,688 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 11.3% of the combined output of the 66 counties of South Dakota that BEA reports (about 12.5% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 66 on that measure. Per resident that is $76,541, 10% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $84,630. In current dollars output grew 5.6% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (3rd) and its output-per-resident rank (23rd) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 62,114 jobs located in Pennington County on average in 2024, spread over 5,799 employer sites (about 11 jobs per site). That is 0.55 jobs for every resident, above the 0.37 of the typical county in South Dakota, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $57,286, about the same as the average of all counties in the state ($57,286 against $58,062). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.2% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (21.2% of private jobs, $69,289 a year on average), retail trade (16.0% of private jobs, $38,087 a year on average), accommodation and food services (15.1% of private jobs, $27,135 a year on average). Together they hold 52.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $85,204 a year, followed by wholesale trade ($82,499). The county is specialised in several industries: construction (1.5 times the US share, 4,812 jobs); other services (except public administration) (1.5 times the US share, 2,739 jobs); accommodation and food services (1.4 times the US share, 8,168 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($38,087), accommodation and food services ($27,135). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Pennington County was 1.7%, about the same as the average of the state's counties (1.7% against 1.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 59,596. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 1.7% (2026M04) to 2.5% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $74,517 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($74,517 against $75,081). The guide covers 3 cities with this as the main county: Rapid City, Box Elder, Rapid Valley. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,109 in Rapid City to $1,491 in Box Elder, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Pennington County in output are Minnehaha County, Lincoln County, Brown County, Brookings County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 66 counties of South Dakota ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 113,512 | 2 of 66 |
| GDP 2024 | $8,688 million | 3 of 66 |
| GDP per resident | $76,541 | 23 of 66 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 62,114 | 2 of 66 |
| Average annual pay | $57,286 | 5 of 66 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.2% | 25 of 66 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 1.7% | 37 of 66 |
| Median household income | $74,517 | 24 of 66 |
Federal jobs in South Dakota (285) →All cities of South DakotaState guide: South Dakota
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Pennington County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City | 77,946 | $70,870 | $1,109 | $299,400 | 37.0% |
| Box Elder | 12,902 | $73,008 | $1,491 | $302,100 | 28.1% |
| Rapid Valley | 6,975 | $83,208 | $1,174 | $255,500 | 19.8% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 11,430 | 21.2% | $69,289 | 1.28 |
| Retail trade | 8,654 | 16.0% | $38,087 | 1.40 |
| Accommodation and food services | 8,168 | 15.1% | $27,135 | 1.45 |
| Construction | 4,812 | 8.9% | $68,435 | 1.48 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,926 | 5.4% | $85,204 | 0.68 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,739 | 5.1% | $47,914 | 1.46 |
| Manufacturing | 2,524 | 4.7% | $66,213 | 0.49 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,434 | 4.5% | $44,598 | 0.67 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,408 | 4.5% | $82,499 | 0.98 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,328 | 4.3% | $81,853 | 0.92 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,227 | 2.3% | $53,335 | 0.47 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,130 | 2.1% | $26,104 | 1.08 |
| Management of companies | 907 | 1.7% | $130,550 | 0.87 |
| Real estate and rental | 775 | 1.4% | $50,609 | 0.80 |
| Information | 680 | 1.3% | $70,670 | 0.58 |
| Educational services | 443 | 0.8% | $38,387 | 0.34 |
| Utilities | 195 | 0.4% | $106,254 | 0.83 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 142 | 0.3% | $41,495 | 0.28 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 119 | 0.2% | $69,392 | 0.51 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 59,596 |
| Employed residents | 58,596 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 62,114 |
| Employer sites | 5,799 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County | 203,289 | $22,447 million | $110,421 | 138,556 | $65,100 | 1.6% |
| Pennington County | 113,512 | $8,688 million | $76,541 | 62,114 | $57,286 | 1.7% |
| Lincoln County | 70,638 | $8,823 million | $124,902 | 29,694 | $65,125 | 1.6% |
| Brown County | 37,877 | $3,155 million | $83,307 | 19,808 | $54,430 | 1.6% |
| Brookings County | 35,353 | $3,062 million | $86,606 | 19,246 | $56,994 | 1.4% |
| Meade County | 30,546 | $1,305 million | $42,710 | 8,600 | $57,255 | 1.7% |
| Codington County | 28,767 | $2,111 million | $73,370 | 17,261 | $52,139 | 1.5% |
| Lawrence County | 27,233 | $1,848 million | $67,852 | 13,566 | $50,201 | 1.6% |
| Yankton County | 23,414 | $1,759 million | $75,124 | 13,091 | $55,512 | 1.7% |
| Davison County | 19,952 | $1,725 million | $86,440 | 12,546 | $53,296 | 1.5% |
| Beadle County | 19,309 | $1,236 million | $63,987 | 8,574 | $50,493 | 1.6% |
| Hughes County | 17,664 | $1,661 million | $94,006 | 10,867 | $61,739 | 1.5% |
| Union County | 17,081 | $2,261 million | $132,391 | 9,633 | $73,276 | 1.8% |
| Clay County | 15,219 | $877 million | $57,630 | 6,066 | $48,924 | 1.5% |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,491 | $433 million | $32,076 | 3,797 | $53,583 | 3.4% |
| Lake County | 10,972 | $934 million | $85,163 | 5,221 | $56,802 | 1.5% |
| Butte County | 10,676 | $475 million | $44,472 | 2,940 | $45,795 | 1.4% |
| Roberts County | 10,221 | $563 million | $55,081 | 3,559 | $45,278 | 2.1% |
| Charles Mix County | 9,281 | $600 million | $64,604 | 3,548 | $47,616 | 1.6% |
| Todd County | 9,244 | $313 million | $33,837 | 2,946 | $49,365 | 4.0% |
| Custer County | 8,892 | $398 million | $44,719 | 2,677 | $47,494 | 1.8% |
| Turner County | 8,882 | $613 million | $68,978 | 2,389 | $46,661 | 1.5% |
| Grant County | 7,563 | $831 million | $109,877 | 3,854 | $54,491 | 1.6% |
| Hutchinson County | 7,404 | $555 million | $75,020 | 2,756 | $48,418 | 1.2% |
| Fall River County | 7,258 | $372 million | $51,260 | 2,516 | $51,214 | 2.3% |
| Bon Homme County | 7,044 | $284 million | $40,379 | 1,713 | $46,372 | 1.9% |
| Moody County | 6,397 | $486 million | $75,940 | 2,561 | $53,179 | 1.5% |
| Hamlin County | 6,373 | $425 million | $66,652 | 2,629 | $55,544 | 1.2% |
| Spink County | 6,219 | $549 million | $88,290 | 2,310 | $51,117 | 1.7% |
| McCook County | 5,751 | $406 million | $70,632 | 1,338 | $50,576 | 1.5% |
| Tripp County | 5,611 | $353 million | $62,949 | 2,331 | $49,583 | 1.5% |
| Day County | 5,437 | $381 million | $70,029 | 1,955 | $44,886 | 1.7% |
| Brule County | 5,283 | $336 million | $63,546 | 2,007 | $41,127 | 1.3% |
| Walworth County | 5,271 | $319 million | $60,576 | 2,033 | $46,774 | 1.9% |
| Kingsbury County | 5,244 | $370 million | $70,558 | 1,814 | $47,846 | 1.8% |
| Dewey County | 5,205 | $271 million | $51,979 | 2,447 | $51,085 | 2.7% |
| Marshall County | 4,344 | $454 million | $104,455 | 1,681 | $55,097 | 1.5% |
| Deuel County | 4,328 | $553 million | $127,777 | 1,536 | $53,171 | 1.4% |
| Edmunds County | 4,048 | $257 million | $63,565 | 1,214 | $52,001 | 1.6% |
| Gregory County | 4,016 | $238 million | $59,192 | 1,586 | $39,901 | 1.4% |
| Clark County | 3,917 | $337 million | $86,139 | 1,194 | $46,772 | 1.4% |
| Corson County | 3,806 | $121 million | $31,823 | 755 | $48,202 | 3.3% |
| Lyman County | 3,724 | $194 million | $52,183 | 1,369 | $37,710 | 1.9% |
| Hanson County | 3,472 | $217 million | $62,571 | 626 | $51,885 | 2.1% |
| Bennett County | 3,345 | $143 million | $42,651 | 846 | $42,513 | 2.0% |
| Hand County | 3,140 | $282 million | $89,925 | 1,449 | $43,934 | 1.6% |
| Stanley County | 3,015 | $186 million | $61,737 | 1,327 | $46,989 | 1.6% |
| Perkins County | 3,001 | $176 million | $58,526 | 1,119 | $41,738 | 1.6% |
| Douglas County | 2,828 | $269 million | $95,122 | 1,028 | $45,589 | 1.9% |
| Jackson County | 2,802 | $107 million | $38,262 | 691 | $41,313 | 2.5% |
| Aurora County | 2,642 | $156 million | $58,969 | 812 | $41,846 | 1.4% |
| Potter County | 2,388 | $149 million | $62,462 | 821 | $46,301 | 2.1% |
| Sanborn County | 2,384 | $158 million | $66,125 | 640 | $41,586 | 1.5% |
| Ziebach County | 2,377 | $56 million | $23,586 | 252 | $52,274 | 2.4% |
| Miner County | 2,300 | $177 million | $76,841 | 805 | $43,524 | 1.9% |
| McPherson County | 2,145 | $141 million | $65,720 | 560 | $41,808 | 2.0% |
| Faulk County | 2,126 | $169 million | $79,644 | 688 | $42,528 | 1.3% |
| Mellette County | 1,943 | $71 million | $36,593 | 328 | $36,865 | 2.7% |
| Buffalo County | 1,808 | $95 million | $52,808 | 538 | $50,972 | 3.5% |
| Jerauld County | 1,772 | $172 million | $96,972 | 1,559 | $47,603 | 1.5% |
| Haakon County | 1,722 | $133 million | $77,142 | 780 | $47,525 | 1.9% |
| Campbell County | 1,593 | $103 million | $64,970 | 439 | $44,880 | 2.6% |
| Sully County | 1,526 | $108 million | $71,067 | 679 | $55,514 | 1.4% |
| Hyde County | 1,191 | $173 million | $145,258 | 533 | $55,079 | 1.3% |
| Harding County | 1,148 | $91 million | $78,992 | 444 | $46,625 | 1.5% |
| Jones County | 1,004 | $85 million | $85,144 | 388 | $35,332 | 1.9% |
113,512 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$8,688 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
1.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
62,114 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $57,286 (BLS QCEW).