South Dakota has broken the national record for lowest unemployment rate.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the state unemployment rate hit 1.8 percent in June, the lowest of any state in United States history. The previous record low was 1.9 percent.
New Hampshire also hit the same 1.8 percent mark last month.
The drop reflects a nationwide trend in declining unemployment rates, which have been hovering near historic lows for the past year. Currently, the national unemployment rate is at 3.6 percent.
Employment in South Dakota grew by 1,300 occupied jobs in June, according to a press release from Gov. Kristi Noem's office. The state has over 20,000 job openings.
“I am grateful that Gov. Kristi Noem kept our state ‘Open for Business,’ and allowed South Dakotans to keep on working during the pandemic. Our economic success is truly thanks to the people that get up and work hard every single day,” said South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman in the release.
Hultman also credited Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” recruitment campaign for providing hope to employment growth in the state.
