Fast Food and Counter Workers Salary in South Dakota

Fast Food and Counter Workers in South Dakota have a median of $29,490 a year, below the national $31,200 (−5%); the state ranks 25th of 51 states by median. That is 37% less than the median across all occupations in South Dakota ($47,080). Among neighbouring states, Minnesota and North Dakota pay more (up to $31,370 in Minnesota) and Montana, Nebraska, Iowa and Wyoming pay less (down to $27,860 in Wyoming). South Dakota employs 15,150 fast food and counter workers, 33.1 per 1,000 jobs, the 41st largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.34 means the occupation is more concentrated in South Dakota than nationally.

South Dakota vs the United States, May 2025

Fast Food and Counter Workers: wage percentiles, mean, employment, jobs per 1,000 and location quotient in South Dakota and nationally, May 2025
Area	Basis	Percentile wage					Mean	Employment	Jobs per 1,000	Location quotient
Area	Basis	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	Mean	Employment	Jobs per 1,000	Location quotient
South Dakota	Hourly	$13.41	$13.78	$14.18	$15.13	$17.49	$14.86	15,150	33.11	1.34
South Dakota	Annual	$27,880	$28,670	$29,490	$31,480	$36,380	$30,900	15,150	33.11	1.34
United States	Hourly	$10.98	$13.32	$15.00	$17.34	$20.51	$15.46	3,854,050	–	–
United States	Annual	$22,840	$27,700	$31,200	$36,070	$42,650	$32,150	3,854,050	–	–

South Dakota annual wage at the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles; the line marks the US median. The same numbers are in the table above.

Rank by median: 25th of 51 states
Rank by employment: 41st of 51 states
Location quotient: 1.34
Jobs per 1,000: 33.11

Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of South Dakota's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.

Metropolitan areas in South Dakota

3 metropolitan areas and 2 nonmetropolitan areas touching South Dakota publish a row for fast food and counter workers, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.

Area	Median hourly	Median annual	10th pct (annual)	90th pct (annual)	Employment	Jobs per 1,000	Location quotient
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$14.34	$29,830	$28,350	$38,120	5,730	32.07	1.29
Rapid City, SD	$14.15	$29,440	$27,850	$36,400	2,860	38.69	1.56
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	$13.99	$29,090	$22,410	$35,870	2,060	27.50	1.11
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	$13.92	$28,950	$27,880	$35,340	4,480	33.68	1.36
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	$13.88	$28,870	$27,340	$35,010	1,990	31.71	1.28

Neighbouring states

State	Median hourly	Median annual	Employment	Location quotient
South Dakota	$14.18	$29,490	15,150	1.34
Iowa	$13.65	$28,390	40,290	1.04
Minnesota	$15.08	$31,370	58,970	0.81
Montana	$13.98	$29,090	14,960	1.18
North Dakota	$14.46	$30,080	11,470	1.08
Nebraska	$13.94	$29,000	30,060	1.18
Wyoming	$13.40	$27,860	7,060	1.01

See the national page for Fast Food and Counter Workers (every state ranked) and the South Dakota wage profile (every occupation in the state).

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS South Dakota estimates.

Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.