Salaries in South Dakota by job

Median annual wages in South Dakota for 53 occupations, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).

Across all occupations, the South Dakota median is 8% below the U.S. median.

JobMedian a yearvs U.S.
Family doctor / GP$240,000−2%
Marketing manager$168,000+1%
Dentist$158,000−7%
Pharmacist$147,000+4%
General / operations manager$137,000+30%
Architect$102,000+3%
Lawyer$102,000−36%
Financial analyst$99,000−4%
Electrical engineer$99,000−18%
Civil engineer$99,000−2%
Software developer$96,000−29%
Data scientist$96,000−20%
Physical therapist / physiotherapist$93,000−10%
Dental hygienist$92,000−6%
Veterinarian$89,000−32%
Mechanical engineer$88,000−15%
Management consultant / analyst$84,000−18%
Project manager$82,000−20%
Psychologist$80,000−20%
Accountant / auditor$79,000−6%
Registered nurse$78,000−20%
Sales representative (B2B)$77,000+7%
Network / systems administrator$75,000−24%
HR specialist$68,000−11%
Real estate agent$65,000+23%
Electrician$61,000−3%
Police officer$61,000−20%
Truck driver (heavy)$59,000same
Paralegal$58,000−7%
Plumber$52,000−19%
Auto mechanic$51,000+1%
Web developer$51,000−45%
Social worker$51,000−14%
High school teacher$51,000−29%
Elementary school teacher$50,000−22%
Hairdresser / stylist$50,000+39%
Welder$49,000−8%
Paramedic$49,000−19%
Chef / head cook$48,000−22%
Graphic designer$48,000−23%
IT support specialist$48,000−22%
Carpenter$48,000−20%
Firefighter$48,000−19%
Bookkeeper$46,000−8%
Construction laborer$46,000−3%
Administrative assistant$42,000−12%
Customer service representative$41,000−9%
Warehouse worker$39,000−3%
Nursing assistant$39,000−8%
Cook$36,000−3%
Retail salesperson$34,000−3%
Cashier$30,000−9%
Childcare worker$28,000−20%

Annual wages, all industries, full- and part-time workers, before tax. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. The last column shows how the South Dakota median compares with the national median for the same occupation. Not published for South Dakota: actuary, airline pilot.

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Sources

  1. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: national estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
  2. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: state estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
  3. Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation (Table 5.3). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2023-2024.
  4. PINC-03: Educational attainment by total money earnings, work experience and age. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2026 ASEC, 2025 earnings.

U.S. data are works of the U.S. federal government and in the public domain.