When you see South Dakota at No. 1 on any list presented in the media, it generally isn't a good thing.

Tuesday's report from U.S. Census Bureau data - which shows that the state leads the nation in the percentage of young children with both parents in the work force - isn't any different.

The national average for children younger than 6 who have both parents in the work force is 62 percent. In South Dakota, it's 74 percent. South Dakota isn't alone in the region when it comes to families with two working parents. The top of the list is shared by a number of neighbor states, including North Dakota (73 percent), Iowa (72 percent), Nebraska (71 percent) and Minnesota (70 percent).

According to an Associated Press story, one reason given for both parents working so often in the Midwest is that workers tend to be highly educated and are coveted by employers.

As a state, we are proud that we are hard workers, that our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the nation and that, for the most part, our citizens who must go on welfare see it as a very temporary step toward returning to full employment.

However, the report also notes that many families need two incomes to make ends meet. In South Dakota, the reality is both.

The work ethos of South Dakotans is exceptional, and employers here and beyond the state's boundaries have long recognized that fact. Meanwhile, South Dakota wages beyond the municipal reach of the Sioux Falls metro have lagged, meaning not only must both parents often have to work, but that they also often must find multiple jobs to make ends meet.

The impact of these combined trends is far reaching, not only stretching the fabric of families but also our communities in the fields of child care, education and even economic development, to name a few.

As a community, our duty is multi-fold. We must ensure that programs such as the YMCA's Kid Stop, the Rapid City Club for Boys and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, to name only a few, remain viable and vibrant as - if not ideal, then necessary - programs to serve our taxed families.

We should also strive to encourage a business climate that better addresses the needs of families by providing child care, paying better wages, offering more full-time jobs and fewer part-time jobs and offering incentives to workers to further their education.

Many employers do this now; many don't.

As we look forward, our goal should be to entice businesses to come to Rapid City that offer these amenities and embrace the idea that not only is South Dakota a good place to do business, it's a good place to raise a family, and we should do all we can to make sure that remains true.