Statewide pay Government data
Landscapers in South Dakota earn a statewide median of $35,370 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #48 of 50 states and DC. About 2,980 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near South Dakota
See all states on the landscapers nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes landscaper pay for 2 South Dakota metros: Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux FallsSOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $37,400 | $41,266 | 1,090 |
| Rapid CitySOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $34,840 | $39,076 | 630 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for South Dakota's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 149,500 openings a year. Typical training: short-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, landscapers have 165 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often landscapers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Where to train in South Dakota Government data
2 schools in South Dakota offer horticulture and landscaping programs below the bachelor's level, 1 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD · Public | Associate degree | $20,277 | 19 | $41,672 |
| Mount Marty University Yankton, SD · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $49,788 | 3 | — |
| Mount Marty University Yankton, SD · Private nonprofit | Associate degree | $49,788 | 0 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in South Dakota Official source
The main state licensing office in South Dakota is the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. The state licenses electricians and plumbers. It can point you to the right license for landscapers.
Official South Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for landscapers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 2.3% of wage and salary workers in South Dakota were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#51 of 51 states and D.C.), and 3.1% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only landscapers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in South Dakota
All trades in South Dakota.