If you're fresh out of college looking for a teaching job, or a current educator looking to land a new teaching gig, you shouldn't have a difficult time, especially if you live in South Dakota. That's because the Mount Rushmore State has openings, lots of them!

With a new school year starting next week in many places throughout the state, South Dakota is in dire need of a few good educators.

Dakota News Now is reporting that the state had roughly 353 openings at the end of July, and that's one hundred more openings than we had at this same time last year.

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New Associated School Boards of South Dakota Executive Director Heath Larson told Dakota News Now, that those vacancy numbers are following a trend that's been rising for several years.

What does South Dakota have planned to attract more teachers?

According to Dakota News Now, the state passed a new law last session that aims almost to match teacher pay and benefits with education funding increases, that will go into effect in the coming years to attract more candidates.

The various districts are working right now with lawmakers to help ensure funding increases go to help that cause.

Larson told Dakota News Now, “We certainly want to make sure that we’re getting the dollars into the hands of our teachers and our educators across the state of South Dakota, and do everything we can. We also want that to be something that at the local district level, they’re able to manage from an operational perspective as well.”

The Sioux Falls School District has several job openings at this time. You can see what's available and learn more about the various job opportunities here.

The 10 Largest Occupations in South Dakota

Where do people in South Dakota work?

If you were a South Dakotan a hundred years ago, chances are you had a job related to farming or ranching. If you weren't doing the farming, you were selling things to the farmers, fixing things for the farmers, or buying things from the farmers.

In the 2020s, things are very different.

Most of us in the SD work in health care or the service industry in one way or another. In fact, there are more nurses in South Dakota than the entire population of the state capital, Pierre.

Today far more people work at a store or restaurant than have probably ever even been on a farm. Time passes and things change, always. Fifty years from now who knows what jobs South Dakotans will be doing

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the top 10 largest occupations in South Dakota (as of 2022).

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

The 10 Largest Occupations in Sioux Falls

Where do people in Sioux Falls work? If this was fifty years ago the average Sioux Fallsian worked in some industrial, meat packing, or farm-related position. Sioux Falls has also been the major regional medical center for decades.

Customer service and other retail-related jobs have always been a part of the Sioux Empire's economy. But in recent years those industries have become major employers.

If you live in Sioux Falls, there's a pretty good chance you work one of these jobs. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the top 10 largest occupations in Sioux Falls (as of 2022).

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns