Ranking · original analysis of BLS and O*NET data
Highest-paying jobs in South Dakota
The 40 best-paid occupations in South Dakota with at least 100 people employed, by state median wage.
Quick answer
The highest-paying occupation in South Dakota with at least 100 people employed was Emergency Medicine Physician, with a state median of $393,870 (BLS May 2025).
The ranking
40 occupations
Data Every figure is from BLS OEWS May 2025 or O*NET 31.0; the selection rule is below.
| # | Occupation | Median pay in South Dakota | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency Medicine Physician | $393,870 | 170 |
| 2 | CEO | $280,900 | 510 |
| 3 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $280,520 | 160 |
| 4 | CRNA | $263,930 | 400 |
| 5 | Family Medicine Physician | $239,970 | 550 |
| 6 | Ophthalmologist | $211,990 | 130 |
| 7 | Marketing Manager | $167,750 | 220 |
| 8 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $164,330 | 310 |
| 9 | IT Manager | $162,240 | 380 |
| 10 | Financial Manager | $159,700 | 1,000 |
| 11 | Dentist | $158,140 | 390 |
| 12 | Network Engineer | $153,390 | 420 |
| 13 | Pharmacist | $146,790 | 1,280 |
| 14 | Operations Manager | $137,400 | 4,280 |
| 15 | Sales Manager | $136,360 | 450 |
| 16 | Physician Assistant | $133,200 | 680 |
| 17 | Nurse Practitioner | $128,840 | 1,020 |
| 18 | Financial Advisor | $128,720 | 620 |
| 19 | Natural Sciences Managers | $128,140 | 180 |
| 20 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $126,160 | 240 |
| 21 | Hospital Administrator | $122,050 | 1,140 |
| 22 | Managers, All Other | $119,470 | 570 |
| 23 | Sales Engineer | $119,110 | 100 |
| 24 | Construction Manager | $118,380 | 1,070 |
| 25 | HR Manager | $117,930 | 420 |
| 26 | Cyber Security Analyst | $116,640 | 770 |
| 27 | Engineers, All Other | $112,260 | 110 |
| 28 | Education Administrators, All Other | $108,990 | 110 |
| 29 | Industrial Production Manager | $107,490 | 720 |
| 30 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $107,410 | 370 |
| 31 | Administrative Services Managers | $106,410 | 450 |
| 32 | First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $105,680 | 680 |
| 33 | Computer Occupations, All Other | $105,370 | 240 |
| 34 | Architect | $102,500 | 180 |
| 35 | Optometrist | $102,320 | 190 |
| 36 | Lawyer | $102,040 | 1,360 |
| 37 | Computer Hardware Engineer | $101,400 | 160 |
| 38 | Facilities Manager | $101,280 | 370 |
| 39 | Computer Systems Analyst | $99,790 | 1,110 |
| 40 | Financial Analyst | $99,150 | 820 |
Method
How this page is built
BLS OEWS state estimates for South Dakota, May 2025: occupations with at least 100 people employed and a published median, ranked by median annual wage.
What this page can't tell you
Sources- Pay at a specific employer or for self-employed workers.
- Openings in your area: these are national figures.
- Whether a job suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.