Average Salary in South Dakota
Wages, household income and cost-of-living context for South Dakota. All figures from federal releases, vintage 2024.
- Mean annual wage$55,480Rank #45 of 51
- Median annual wage$45,620Rank #44 of 51
- Median household income$76,881ACS 2024 1-year
- Regional price parity88.6US = 100
- Adjusted mean wage$62,619Rank #38 at national prices
- Total employment452,940Wage & salary workers
What the numbers say
The mean of $55,480 is $9,860 (21.6 %) above the median of $45,620, reflecting a right-skewed wage distribution pulled up by high earners.
Prices in South Dakota are about 11.4 % below the national average (RPP 88.6, where US = 100). After the adjustment, every dollar earned in South Dakota buys what $62,619 would buy at national average prices.
Median household income in South Dakota is $76,881 (Census ACS 2024). That figure counts all income to all people in a household — two-earner couples, Social Security, self-employment earnings — and is not directly comparable to the per-worker wage figures above.
Pay for common occupations in South Dakota
Annual mean wage, cross-industry. Blank rows indicate BLS suppression for this state/occupation cell.
| Occupation | SOC | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | 11-2021 | $161,010 |
| Pharmacist | 29-1051 | $137,460 |
| Lawyer | 23-1011 | $129,500 |
| Civil Engineer | 17-2051 | $96,590 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 17-2141 | $96,180 |
| Software Developer | 15-1252 | $93,390 |
| Data Scientist | 15-2051 | $92,460 |
| Project Management Specialist | 13-1082 | $87,680 |
Browse all 20 occupation pages →