South Dakota
Across all occupations in South Dakota, the median wage is $47,080 a year ($22.63 an hour) and the mean $57,610, May 2025. That median is −8% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 457,380 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is radiologists; the largest is fast food and counter workers.
All occupations: South Dakota vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| South Dakota | Hourly | $14.09 | $17.32 | $22.63 | $30.78 | $45.63 | $27.70 | 457,380 |
| Annual | $29,300 | $36,030 | $47,080 | $64,020 | $94,900 | $57,610 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in South Dakota
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the South Dakota minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in South Dakota
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologists | $586,010 | $281.73 | 70 |
| 2 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $393,870 | $189.36 | 170 |
| 3 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $297,610 | $143.08 | 80 |
| 4 | Chief Executives | $280,900 | $135.05 | 510 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $280,520 | $134.87 | 160 |
| 6 | Nurse Anesthetists | $263,930 | $126.89 | 400 |
| 7 | Pediatricians, General | $257,610 | $123.85 | 80 |
| 8 | Family Medicine Physicians | $239,970 | $115.37 | 550 |
| 9 | Psychiatrists | $226,180 | $108.74 | 60 |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $211,990 | $101.92 | 130 |
| 11 | Marketing Managers | $167,750 | $80.65 | 220 |
| 12 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $164,330 | $79.00 | 310 |
| 13 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $162,240 | $78.00 | 380 |
| 14 | Financial Managers | $159,700 | $76.78 | 1,000 |
| 15 | Dentists, General | $158,140 | $76.03 | 390 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architects | $153,390 | $73.75 | 420 |
| 17 | Pharmacists | $146,790 | $70.57 | 1,280 |
| 18 | General and Operations Managers | $137,400 | $66.06 | 4,280 |
| 19 | Database Architects | $136,540 | $65.64 | 40 |
| 20 | Sales Managers | $136,360 | $65.56 | 450 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in South Dakota
Occupation groups in South Dakota
Metropolitan areas in South Dakota
3 metropolitan areas touch South Dakota, plus 2 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City, SD | Metropolitan | $46,270 | $22.25 | 73,820 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | Metropolitan | $47,030 | $22.61 | 75,010 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | Metropolitan | $47,970 | $23.06 | 178,590 |
| East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $46,520 | $22.36 | 133,090 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $45,530 | $21.89 | 62,880 |
Occupation pages for South Dakota
56 occupations have a dedicated South Dakota page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $78,880
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $51,160
- Bartenders $29,400
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $46,340
- Carpenters $48,140
- Cashiers $29,780
- Computer User Support Specialists $48,260
- Construction Laborers $45,710
- Cooks, Fast Food $30,950
- Cooks, Restaurant $36,220
- Customer Service Representatives $40,650
- Electricians $61,390
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $50,130
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $29,490
- Financial Managers $159,700
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $77,690
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $40,640
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $62,530
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $73,040
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $56,680
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $64,780
- Food Preparation Workers $30,430
- General and Operations Managers $137,400
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,690
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $37,740
- Human Resources Specialists $67,590
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $47,410
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,480
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $38,980
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $35,370
- Lawyers $102,040
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $52,750
- Light Truck Drivers $43,240
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $29,950
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $48,100
- Management Analysts $83,620
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $63,490
- Medical Assistants $41,870
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $50,980
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $43,240
- Nursing Assistants $38,800
- Office Clerks, General $38,560
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $60,740
- Project Management Specialists $82,250
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $38,280
- Registered Nurses $78,060
- Retail Salespersons $34,370
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $77,210
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $51,050
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $41,700
- Security Guards $37,150
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $43,680
- Software Developers $96,310
- Stockers and Order Fillers $37,650
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $28,220
- Waiters and Waitresses $28,990
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for South Dakota
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for South Dakota. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS South Dakota estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- 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.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in South Dakota.