How is the job situation in Sioux Falls?

[nanjosbrand]

Hope you guys have some good luck finding jobs in Sioux Falls! Let us know how you like it!!

[Jon_in_WI]

Originally Posted by MJ1986

Jon, That's excellent that you are considering Sioux Falls!

I think the unemployment rate here is about 4.5%...

Here is the Wikipedia link for Sioux Falls... it gives some good basic info:
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The unemployment rate of 11% really surprising me, especially for NW WI. Have you had a lot of major employers lay off workers?

Sioux Falls has quite a few transplants. The ethnic diversity is increasing as well, and I find that a very good thing!

SD has no personal or corporate income tax. Here's an interesting link I dug up regarding the taxes in South Dakota:
The Tax Foundation - Tax Research Areas > South Dakota

For an idea of our weather:
It's hard to predict... This week, we've been in the mid 70s... Ideal!!
We have the usual summer thunderstorms. We're in the northwestern part of Tornado Alley, depending on which description of Tornado Alley you use. I would say tornadoes would be slightly more common here than NW WI, but its a rare occurrence.

For winter... anything can happen . Much like the other seasons... I would assume we would have slightly higher normal temperatures than you, and lower snow falls rates. We actually had a calm winter last winter, but we were hit with the very bitter cold. One morning we had a -40 ish (I think) for a low temperature. I've never experienced anything like that. I had to work at 7 am, and my car barely started.

Sioux Falls has great schools... The 3 public high schools are all great... I know Roosevelt and Lincoln were ranked in top high schools around the country, but I can't find the links...

Sioux Falls has a new elementary school - Rosa Parks Elementary, on East 26th. A new elementary school is currently being built (I think it's almost done) in SW Sioux Falls near 57th & Ellis Road. Another is planned in northwestern Sioux Falls... I'm not sure when this will open.

Shopping/restaurants are plentiful. Dawley Farm Village, which is a new shopping district on the east side of Sioux Falls, will house Target and Kohl's and numerous other tenants.

Downtown Sioux Falls also has many small mom & pop shops... lots of neat stores. Sculpture Walk is downtown. Small sculptures from artists all around the nation are featured.

Do you have any specific questions? I'd be happy to answer them.

Hi MJ, Great post and I much appreciate it. The job market is particularly bad here because of our very rural location combined with a large amount of manufacturing job layoffs here. It is so bad in fact, our neighboring county (Rusk county) has a current unemployment rate of near 15%. A fortune 500 company by the name of Parker Hannifin recently laid off an entire production shift; this is unheard of with them and they have never had layoffs at this plant before. To be fair, the town I live in is only 9000 people so it was never a bastion of excellent employment opportunities to begin with.

It is truly tough everywhere right now, but I am more thinking ahead at this point to communities who will not only rebound after the recession ends, but will continue to grow. Sioux Falls reminds me a lot of a town in Montana I live in called Billings. About the same population (Billings 110,000 pop.) and with rapid growth.

The very low crime rate in SF is a major bonus as well. While crime is very low here as well, I expect that from a town of only 9000 people. Well, back to the job search, and I'll keep you updated. Thanks MJ Jon in WI

[Chris19]

Sioux Falls's job market is tighter than it was a year or two ago, but is still better than many areas across the country. Sioux Falls is poised to come out strong when the economy recovers and the city has a bright future with progressive and forward-thinking leadership. One thing helping Sioux Falls is a diversified economic base. Yes, it can be diversified more, but it is definitely not a one industry city.

[Jon_in_WI]

Originally Posted by Chris19

Sioux Falls is poised to come out strong when the economy recovers and the city has a bright future with progressive and forward-thinking leadership.

This is exactly my thinking. Not so much its economic condition now, but in 5, 10, 20 years beyond.

[stockwiz]

Brookings still has plenty of work, though much of it is manufacturing. I moved here from extreme eastern Wisconsin a few years ago. Still having relatives out there and visiting yearly, I've heard that the job market is pretty much nonexistent out there, too.

I work at 3m here in brookings.. if you dont mind factory work and rotating shifts you can make good money there, though you have to start out as manpower for a while, perhaps a year. It's good money once you get full time though... overtime is part of the job requirement though, keep that in mind. If you like money, there's no ceiling as to how much you can work basically.

Brookings has made great advances since I moved out here in 2004.. new shops, stores, subdivisions, landscaping, places to eat.. much more progressive then it was just a few years ago. It's very clean, extremely low in crime, a decent place to live overall. We're getting a culver's

http://culvers.know-where.com/culver...=162&map.y=285