South Dakota Governor’s Office of Econ. Dev.

711 E. Wells Ave.Pierre, SD 57501

Scott Stern Commissioner

605-773-4633

sdreadytowork.com

“We cannot recruit businesses, we cannot do education properly, if we don’t have high-speed internet to a lot of our small towns in this state.”— Gov.-elect Kristi Noem, in pre-election comments to Fox affiliate station KEVN,

Nov. 4, 2018

Legislative Update • After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Wayfair vs. South Dakota

that states can collect sales tax from out-of-state online retailers, Gov. Dennis Daugaard called a special session in order to lift an injunction blocking the state from doing just that. Sales tax collection began on November 1.

• Lawmakers passed a funding arrangement for new precision agriculture labs and classroom space at South Dakota State University in Brookings.

• A multi-state licensure agreement for about 150 different occupations that would have allowed certain professionals to work in South Dakota if they were licensed in another state failed in the House.

2017 GDP(in millions of current US$)

$45,431.3

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2.5

3.0

20172016201520142013

GDP

47thHigher Ed. R&D Expenditure: $112,916

Number of NCRCs: 26,426 | Percent Improvement 2017-2018: 26.2%

Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2018-2019: -1

Lowest Electric Power Cost (cents/kWh): 7.99

Fiscal Condition Index Rank

2018 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 1.73

South DakotaPop. (2018): 889,876 Pop. growth 2018–2023: 1.05%Median household income: $54,091 Median age: 38Credit Rating: AAA/Stable Right-to-work state: Yes

North Dakota Dept. of Econ. Dev.1600 E. Century Ave., #2

Bismarck, ND 58503

John Schneider DireCtor eD/FinanCe

701-328-5300

business.nd.gov

“We have gifted researchers, entrepreneurs and technology right here in North Dakota — as well as natural attributes such as open skies, variable climate, agriculture and energy — to diversify our economy and continue our trajectory as a national leader in UAS.”— Gov. Doug Burgum, announcing in November a $30 million proposal to build out

infrastructure that would support beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) across North Dakota

Legislative Update • In response to an infrastructure funding package proposed

by Republican legislators in July, in advance of the coming biennial session in 2019, Gov. Burgum said, “We commend legislative leaders for proposing a plan that addresses critical infrastructure needs across our entire state for the long-term benefit of our citizens, while also still maintaining funding for hub cities in the oil patch.”

• Burgum in April designated 25 areas in North Dakota as Opportunity Zones under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

• Burgum in March convened 60 leaders to update them on his administration’s five strategic priorities: Reinventing Government, Main Street Initiative, Transforming Education, Tribal Partnerships and Behavioral Health. “Budget challenges, demographics, digital transformation, cybersecurity challenges and very tight national, state and local labor markets are all powerful forces,” he said, “that will require us to re-envision our current siloed agency approach to delivering services.”

2017 GDP(in millions of current US$)

$50,795.4

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-4

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4

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20172016201520142013

GDP

46thHigher Ed. R&D Expenditure: $255,942

Number of NCRCs: 1,309 | Percent Improvement 2017-2018: 72.2%

Business Tax Climate Rank Change 2018-2019: +2

Lowest Electric Power Cost (cents/kWh): 8.55

Fiscal Condition Index Rank

2018 Workers’ Comp Index Rate: 0.82

North DakotaPop. (2018): 797,210 Pop. growth 2018–2023: 1.88%Median household income: $60,183 Median age: 38Credit Rating: AA+/Stable Right-to-work state: Yes