Occupational profile · 2025
South Dakota
South Dakota employs 457,380 people. The work it does most unusually is residential advisors, at 7.2× the national concentration — 1,780 jobs paying a median of $38,420.
What South Dakota is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Residential Advisors1,780 jobs · median $38,4207.2×
- 2Cooks, Short Order2,000 jobs · median $32,3804.9×
- 3Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers2,080 jobs · median $44,2904.9×
- 4Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers2,550 jobs · median $47,1604.2×
- 5Highway Maintenance Workers1,800 jobs · median $48,6104.0×
- 6Loan Interviewers and Clerks1,710 jobs · median $47,0003.5×
- 7Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators1,420 jobs · median $50,7502.9×
- 8Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators1,060 jobs · median $53,3702.8×
- 9Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers3,250 jobs · median $49,4402.7×
- 10Parts Salespersons2,100 jobs · median $45,3702.6×
- 11Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks10,200 jobs · median $46,3402.5×
- 12Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders1,150 jobs · median $47,9802.5×
What South Dakota is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 52,830 | 1.01× | $44,010 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 46,500 | 1.18× | $37,050 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 45,220 | 1.12× | $30,060 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 39,670 | 0.99× | $40,190 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 35,450 | 1.23× | $77,740 | |
| Production Occupations | 31,240 | 1.24× | $46,220 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 26,300 | 0.98× | $48,850 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 26,200 | 1.39× | $50,120 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 25,560 | 0.82× | $77,730 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 20,090 | 1.12× | $58,890 | |
| Management Occupations | 17,580 | 0.54× | $110,270 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 17,030 | 1.27× | $35,170 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 16,390 | 0.71× | $39,190 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 11,920 | 1.24× | $34,830 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 9,670 | 0.62× | $81,420 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 8,150 | 1.04× | $51,220 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 7,540 | 0.68× | $52,140 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 6,560 | 0.85× | $82,040 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 4,880 | 0.81× | $46,040 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 4,700 | 1.09× | $65,570 | |
| Legal Occupations | 2,210 | 0.58× | $88,400 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 1,680 | 1.31× | $43,630 |
Elsewhere on South Dakota
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗