What skilled trades pay in South Dakota, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $116,320 median. For every trade and metro, start from the South Dakota pay page.
How South Dakota compares
12 of the 39 trades we track in South Dakota pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for paving equipment operator (+20%), wind turbine technician (+17%) and pest control technician (+12%), and the biggest gaps for solar installer (-27%) and telecom line installer (-25%). Prices in South Dakota's metros run about 10% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,054 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in South Dakota
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $35,370.
Every trade in South Dakota
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Carpenter: 4,560 jobs
- Maintenance Technician: 3,450 jobs
- Welder: 3,250 jobs
- Electrician: 2,980 jobs
- Landscaper: 2,980 jobs
South Dakota metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Sioux Falls: +0.1% (11,024 workers)
- Rapid City: -1.2% (6,082 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
2.3% of South Dakota workers belong to a union (3.1% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in South Dakota who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in telecom line installer (85%), electrical lineworker (58%) and HVAC technician (52%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 69 wage cases against construction employers in South Dakota, recovering $74,515 in back wages for 330 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2025. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, federal OSHA opened 180 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 25% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (3 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the South Dakota metros with the most federal major disasters are Sioux Falls (9) and Rapid City (5) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In South Dakota, 332 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in South Dakota?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $116,320 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in South Dakota?
carpenters, with about 4,560 jobs statewide, followed by maintenance technicians and welders.
Which South Dakota city pays the trades best?
Sioux Falls, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Rapid City.
Is construction hiring growing in South Dakota?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 0.1% from a year earlier in Sioux Falls, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and down 1.2% in Rapid City.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in South Dakota 2026, payby.trade/report/sd/.”