South Dakota
The Impact Project synthesizes publicly available data about the impacts of government change.
State Dashboards provide a snapshot of impacts to states, including the size of the federal workforce, federal dollars, a profile of probationary workers, and impacts to federal programs.
Dashboards will change as the data does, and you may find areas that need updating. Please reach out via [email protected] if you would like to support our work, share data, or provide feedback.
Click here to download state data.
Federal Workforce in South Dakota
Total Workforce
472,488
Federal Workforce
8,780
Probationary Federal Workforce
1,024
Sources: OPM.gov (Mar. '24); Census.gov (Dec '24); BLS.gov (Feb. '24)
Federal Funding & State Revenue
Historically, federal dollars have accounted for about a quarter to a third of state revenue. The COVID-19 Pandemic increased those numbers. Approximately 33.60% of the State's 2019 budget came from federal funding, and 49.36% of 2022's budget.
Sources: Pew Trusts; Census.gov; NBER.gov
Summary of State Dots
| Action | South Dakota Stories |
|---|---|
| Economy & Employment | 6 |
| Emergency Services, Public Safety & Law Enforcement | 2 |
| Energy | 10 |
| Food & Agriculture | 13 |
| Housing | 3 |
| Humanities & the Arts | 1 |
| Infrastructure | 3 |
| Natural Resources, Environment & Public Lands | 11 |
| Overarching | 11 |
| Public Health & Healthcare | 11 |
| Research & Academic Research | 2 |
| Social Services | 20 |
| Total | 93 |
Sources: theimpactproject.org
Last Updated: 4/23/2025
DOGE Data Summary
According to DOGE data, 5 contracts, 13 grants and 13 leases have been terminated in South Dakota.
Source: https://doge.gov/savings
Top Federal Occupations in South Dakota
This table provides a snapshot of federal occupations in this state. Click here for descriptions of these occupations.
Probationary employees include those employed by a federal agency for a year or less by March, 2024. For some agencies, the probationary period last longer (2-3yrs). In most cases, the probationary period restarts when a worker is promoted.
| Occupation | Total Employees | Probationary Employees |
|---|---|---|
| NURSE | 932 | 118 |
| MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANCE | 350 | 74 |
| MISCELLANEOUS CLERK AND ASSISTANT | 291 | 53 |
| MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM | 244 | 7 |
| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT | 196 | 15 |
| CUSTODIAL WORKING | 195 | 59 |
| SOCIAL WORK | 156 | 32 |
| FORESTRY TECHNICIAN | 155 | 26 |
| GENERAL NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES | 150 | 21 |
| MEDICAL OFFICER | 146 | 16 |
Sources: OPM.gov (2024)
Top Federal Employers in State
| State | Agency | Non-probationary | Probationary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | Department Of Veterans Affairs | 2676 | 543 | 3219 |
| SD | Department Of Health And Human Services | 1215 | 122 | 1337 |
| SD | Department Of The Interior | 1053 | 73 | 1126 |
| SD | Department Of Agriculture | 906 | 111 | 1017 |
| SD | Department Of The Air Force | 585 | 77 | 662 |
Sources: OPM.gov
Impacted Funding for Food Programs
This summarizes cuts from only a few of the food-related programs impacted by funding changes since January 2025.
The LFS program awards money to states to buy local foods for schools and childcare institutions, and the LFPA program provides funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to buy food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Both programs have been cancelled.
| State, Tribe, or Territory | Local Food for Schools (FY25) | Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement (FY25) |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $2,460,094 | $777,693 |
Source: https://www.usaspending.gov/
Top 5 Counties with Federal Workers
| County | Federal Employees |
|---|---|
| Minnehaha County, South Dakota | 2846 |
| Pennington County, South Dakota | 1727 |
| Meade County, South Dakota | 1525 |
| Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota | 523 |
| Fall River County, South Dakota | 453 |
Sources: BLS.gov
Potentially Impacted Federal Programs
South Dakota administers several federally supported social programs that play a vital role in supporting the well-being of its residents. These programs address various needs, including healthcare, nutrition, financial assistance, and early childhood education. Examples include:
- Medicaid
-
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program
- Food Assistance Programs
Due to federal budget cuts in 2025, some of these programs have already been impacted, and others may be impacted in the future.
State Map
- Rural Counties
- Indigenous Lands
- Majority Non-White
- Poverty Rate >= 20%
- 0 - 4,000
- 4,000 - 7,000
- 7,000 - 10,000
- 10,000 - 15,000
- 15,000 - 25,000
- 25,000 - 35,000
- 35,000 - 50,000
- >50,000
- 0 - 50
- 50 - 100
- 100 - 250
- 250 - 500
- 500 - 1,000
- 1,000 - 5,000
- 5,000 - 10,000
- >10,000
- Statewide Impact
- Location-Specific
Future Analysis
Check back for deeper dives into this data, including consideration of these questions:
- How do these changes impact local and state economies?
- How are local and state governments, NGOs, and businesses responding to federal changes? What gaps are they filling, and what gaps remain?
- How is federal government change evolving over time?
Download Full Data Set
Access a comprehensive Excel file containing all the data shown on this page. This downloadable resource is ideal for further analysis, reporting, or presentations.
“These layoffs hit people who help farmers secure loans, grants and conservation funding. These programs were already understaffed. We already had farmers waiting months to get their grant money, now some of them are being told they might never get it.” - Anonymous