Kylie Carlson

As prices for food, gas, housing and other necessary goods and services continue to rise due to inflation, the resulting economic hardships are being disproportionately felt by people in entry-level jobs and those with fixed or low incomes. While some South Dakotans are suddenly facing difficult choices to remain safe and stable, agencies that help low-income residents are seeing fewer donations and less volunteers to help those in need.

A panel of education experts convened by South Dakota News Watch on June 16, 2022 said teachers in the state are doing a good job of teaching children, and do not deserve the recent criticism and political stress that are making a hard job even tougher, and which are adding to a shortage of teachers across the state.

Overly wet weather has forced many South Dakota farmers to delay or cut back on planting of their annual crop. The delayed or reduced crops will require some farmers to seek financial help from insurance or federal assistance programs to keep their operations viable.

Rents are rising sharply at the worst time for renters in South Dakota, as many try to balance increasing costs for housing, fuel and food with wages that are not generally keeping pace. A lack of availability of rental units, an increasing pool of potential renters and rising costs for landlords are also adding pressure to the market and pushing rents up even higher.

Even with record high gas prices, officials and operators within the South Dakota tourism industry are hoping for another banner year in terms of number of visitors and revenues. They say a post-COVID wanderlust, combined with South Dakota's deep roster of attractions and strong sense of hospitality, will override visitor concerns about fuel costs.