Statewide pay Government data
Machinists in South Dakota earn a statewide median of $50,890 a year, 11% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #49 of 50 states and DC. About 830 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near South Dakota
See all states on the machinist overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes machinist pay for 2 South Dakota metros: Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux FallsSOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $52,000 | $57,376 | 160 |
| Rapid CitySOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $47,840 | $53,656 | 70 |
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)
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, machinists have 108 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.3× 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 machinists deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Where to train in South Dakota Government data
4 schools in South Dakota offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $47,755 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD · Public | Certificate | $20,277 | 45 | — |
| Lake Area Technical College Watertown, SD · Public | Associate degree | $20,069 | 34 | $52,506 |
| Lake Area Technical College Watertown, SD · Public | Certificate | $20,069 | 30 | — |
| Western Dakota Technical College Rapid City, SD · Public | Certificate | $17,763 | 18 | — |
| Western Dakota Technical College Rapid City, SD · Public | Associate degree | $17,763 | 14 | $43,004 |
| Mitchell Technical College Mitchell, SD · Public | Associate degree | $13,884 | 6 | — |
| Mitchell Technical College Mitchell, SD · Public | Certificate | $13,884 | 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 machinists.
Official South Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for machinists 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 machinists.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in South Dakota
All trades in South Dakota.