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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Does South Dakota have nearly the worst infection rate but the best unemployment rate of any US state during the pandemic?
Thursday, February 11, 2021
By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES
As of Feb. 10, 2021, the state of South Dakota has recorded the second highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, at 12,892 per 100,000 residents, exceeded only by North Dakota. Its death rate is sixth-highest, at 205 per 100,000 residents, exceeded by Mississippi and northeastern states hit hard early in the pandemic.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has claimed that her “freedom first” policy response of minimizing shutdowns and avoiding a statewide mask mandate has allowed her state to fare better than virtually every other state.
While not true with respect to infection and death rates, it is true with respect to jobs. As of December 2020, South Dakota tied with Nebraska for the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 3%.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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