Labor Force & Wages
Madison and the surrounding area have a readily available labor supply to meet the needs of new employers. The Madison labor force pulls from a six-county area in South Dakota, which includes the counties of Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Miner, and Moody.
Lake, Miner, and Moody (the 3-county area) comprise most of the work force in Madison.
The South Dakota Department of Labor reported that the total available labor supply for the 3-county area in October 2005 was 1,555.
- Unionized Industry in Lake County: 0%
- Unemployment Rate in Lake County: 4.4%
Labor Force Demographics
The following reviews the age breakdown for the 3-county area populations:
| Age | Population Percentage | Lake | Miner | Moody |
| 0-17 | 22.1% | 2335 | 515 | 4399 |
| 18-24 | 22.8% | 1692 | 188 | 2513 |
| 25-44 | 28.5% | 2483 | 458 | 4455 |
| 45-64 | 9.9% | 2989 | 736 | 5634 |
| 65+ | 16.7% | 1873 | 578 | 3352 |
The following reviews the education level of the 3-county area labor force:
| Education Level | Total Area | Percentage of Total |
| Graduate or Professional Degree | 626 | 4.6% |
| High School Degree or Higher | 11,057 | 80.6% |
| Less than High School Diploma | 2,035 | 14.8% |
| Total Persons 25 and older | 13,092 | 95.4% |
| High School Graduates | 4,863 | 37.1% |
| Some College No Degree | 2,196 | 22.3% |
| Associate Degree | 824 | 6.3% |
| Bachelor Degree | 1,828 | 14.0% |
Wages for Select Occupations for the 3 County Area:
| Job Title | Southeast Average Wage |
| Accountants and Auditors | 20.98 |
| Bookkeeping Acctg and Auditing Clerks | 12.68 |
| Cashiers | 8.34 |
| Computer Programmers | 33.22 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 12.63 |
| Laborers and Freight Stock and Material Movers Hand | 10.52 |
| Packers and Packagers Hand | 9.79 |
| Retail Salespersons | 10.78 |
| Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 9.95 |
| Team Assemblers | 11.53 |
| Wages updated to 2nd Qtr 2010 |
The Pathfinders, Inc. 2005 Labor Study for the Madison area is available from the Lake Area Improvement Corporation.