The state that brought us “Great Faces, Great Places” can tack on something else to its slogan: The largest creator of manufacturing jobs in the Midwest in 2006.
According to Manufacturers’ News, a publisher of directories and databases, the state gained 1,500 manufacturing jobs and 10 factories in the past year, and its 3 percent employment gain was the largest in the Midwest.
Most Midwestern states saw industrial employment drop in 2006, but South Dakota was one of four that saw a net increase (Wisconsin, North Dakota and Iowa were the others.)
“South Dakota continues to benefit from strong foreign demand for its products, particularly processed foods and computers and electronics,” said Tom Dubin, president of MNI. “Well over 90 percent of the state’s manufactured goods are exported to Canada, Mexico and other countries.”
South Dakota has just over 1,500 manufacturing companies, employing more than 50,000 workers, MNI said, and Sioux Falls remains the state’s industrial leader with 248 companies employing 13,144 workers. MNI said 20 percent of the state’s manufacturing jobs are in the food products industry, and sausage and meat products represent the state’s top industry by employment.