A complete 2026 pay reference for South Dakota: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $407,400 | $309,600 | $529,600 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $335,200 | $254,700 | $435,700 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $306,800 | $233,200 | $398,800 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $216,100 | $164,200 | $280,900 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $184,300 | $140,000 | $239,500 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $167,100 | $127,000 | $217,200 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $158,800 | $120,700 | $206,400 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $158,000 | $120,100 | $205,400 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $144,600 | $109,900 | $187,900 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $141,200 | $107,300 | $183,600 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $136,200 | $103,500 | $177,000 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $132,800 | $100,900 | $172,600 |
| 13 | Controller | Finance | $130,300 | $99,000 | $169,300 |
| 14 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $130,300 | $99,000 | $169,300 |
| 15 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $129,000 | $98,000 | $167,700 |
| 16 | Product Manager | Technology | $127,800 | $97,100 | $166,100 |
| 17 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $126,800 | $96,400 | $164,900 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $125,600 | $95,500 | $163,300 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $125,600 | $95,500 | $163,300 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $124,400 | $94,500 | $161,700 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $123,100 | $93,500 | $160,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $121,700 | $92,500 | $158,200 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $120,500 | $91,600 | $156,700 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $119,400 | $90,700 | $155,200 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $119,400 | $90,700 | $155,200 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $117,100 | $89,000 | $152,300 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $116,000 | $88,200 | $150,800 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $114,700 | $87,100 | $149,100 |
| 29 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $112,900 | $85,800 | $146,800 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $112,000 | $85,100 | $145,600 |
| 31 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $112,000 | $85,100 | $145,600 |
| 32 | Software Engineer | Technology | $110,900 | $84,300 | $144,200 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $110,900 | $84,300 | $144,200 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $109,700 | $83,400 | $142,600 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $109,300 | $83,000 | $142,000 |
| 36 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $107,600 | $81,800 | $139,900 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $107,600 | $81,800 | $139,900 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $105,100 | $79,800 | $136,600 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $103,500 | $78,700 | $134,600 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $100,100 | $76,100 | $130,200 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $99,200 | $75,400 | $128,900 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $95,300 | $72,400 | $123,800 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $95,100 | $72,200 | $123,600 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $94,100 | $71,500 | $122,400 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $93,500 | $71,000 | $121,500 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $93,500 | $71,000 | $121,500 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $91,700 | $69,700 | $119,200 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $91,700 | $69,700 | $119,200 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $90,800 | $69,000 | $118,000 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $90,000 | $68,400 | $117,000 |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $90,000 | $68,400 | $117,000 |
| 52 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $89,100 | $67,700 | $115,900 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $89,100 | $67,700 | $115,900 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $88,300 | $67,100 | $114,700 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $86,600 | $65,800 | $112,500 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $86,600 | $65,800 | $112,500 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $85,700 | $65,200 | $111,500 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $84,700 | $64,400 | $110,100 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $84,000 | $63,800 | $109,200 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $83,200 | $63,200 | $108,100 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $82,400 | $62,600 | $107,100 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $80,600 | $61,300 | $104,800 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $77,600 | $59,000 | $100,900 |
| 64 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $75,400 | $57,300 | $98,000 |
| 65 | Animator | Creative & Media | $74,000 | $56,200 | $96,200 |
| 66 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $73,700 | $56,000 | $95,800 |
| 67 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $72,100 | $54,800 | $93,700 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $72,000 | $54,700 | $93,600 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $70,300 | $53,400 | $91,400 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $68,800 | $52,300 | $89,400 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $66,200 | $50,300 | $86,100 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $64,900 | $49,300 | $84,400 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $63,500 | $48,300 | $82,600 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $62,900 | $47,800 | $81,800 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $60,000 | $45,600 | $78,000 |
| 76 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $58,200 | $44,200 | $75,700 |
| 77 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $57,200 | $43,400 | $74,300 |
| 78 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $57,200 | $43,400 | $74,300 |
| 79 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $57,200 | $43,400 | $74,300 |
| 80 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $55,500 | $42,200 | $72,100 |
| 81 | School Counselor | Education | $55,400 | $42,100 | $72,000 |
| 82 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $54,700 | $41,600 | $71,100 |
| 83 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $54,200 | $41,200 | $70,400 |
| 84 | Firefighter | Public Service | $53,600 | $40,800 | $69,700 |
| 85 | Paralegal | Legal | $53,100 | $40,400 | $69,100 |
| 86 | High School Teacher | Education | $53,000 | $40,200 | $68,800 |
| 87 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $53,000 | $40,200 | $68,800 |
| 88 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $52,900 | $40,200 | $68,800 |
| 89 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $52,900 | $40,200 | $68,800 |
| 90 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $52,100 | $39,600 | $67,700 |
| 91 | Social Worker | Public Service | $51,900 | $39,500 | $67,500 |
| 92 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $51,400 | $39,100 | $66,800 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $51,200 | $38,900 | $66,500 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $48,700 | $37,000 | $63,400 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $45,900 | $34,900 | $59,600 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $45,900 | $34,900 | $59,600 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $40,300 | $30,700 | $52,400 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $39,400 | $30,000 | $51,200 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $38,800 | $29,500 | $50,500 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $34,300 | $26,100 | $44,600 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in South Dakota (with growth outlook)
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