Statewide pay Government data
Telecom line installers in South Dakota earn a statewide median of $49,560 a year, 25% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #48 of 50 states and DC. About 590 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near South Dakota
See all states on the telecom line installer overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes telecom line installer pay for 2 South Dakota metros: Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid CitySOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $49,460 | $55,473 | 110 |
| Sioux FallsSOUTH DAKOTA · SD | $48,030 | $52,995 | 240 |
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)
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,000 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, telecom line installers have 379 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 4.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom line installers 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.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of telecom line installer apprentices in South Dakota who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 85% completed (U.S.: 54%), about 21 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 100% completion rate, compared with 80% for non-union programs. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
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 telecom line installers.
Official South Dakota licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom line installers 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 telecom line installers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in South Dakota
All trades in South Dakota.