Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in South Dakota is Radiologists, with a median salary of $586,010 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in SD based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025
See how South Dakota compares to other states. Click any state for its top-paying jobs.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologists | $586,010 | $534,640 | 70 |
| 2 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $393,870 | $335,490 | 170 |
| 3 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $297,610 | $307,380 | 80 |
| 4 | Chief Executives | $280,900 | $336,560 | 510 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $280,520 | $331,820 | 160 |
| 6 | Nurse Anesthetists | $263,930 | $249,720 | 400 |
| 7 | Pediatricians, General | $257,610 | $288,400 | 80 |
| 8 | Family Medicine Physicians | $239,970 | $258,390 | 550 |
| 9 | Psychiatrists | $226,180 | $270,220 | 60 |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $211,990 | $225,800 | 130 |
| 11 | Marketing Managers | $167,750 | $172,390 | 220 |
| 12 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $164,330 | $166,030 | 310 |
| 13 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $162,240 | $168,550 | 380 |
| 14 | Financial Managers | $159,700 | $172,430 | 1,000 |
| 15 | Dentists, General | $158,140 | $164,030 | 390 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architects | $153,390 | $151,620 | 420 |
| 17 | Pharmacists | $146,790 | $142,330 | 1,280 |
| 18 | General and Operations Managers | $137,400 | $153,020 | 4,280 |
| 19 | Database Architects | $136,540 | $124,430 | 40 |
| 20 | Sales Managers | $136,360 | $141,590 | 450 |
| 21 | Physician Assistants | $133,200 | $131,910 | 680 |
| 22 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $130,270 | $120,960 | 30 |
| 23 | Nurse Practitioners | $128,840 | $125,160 | 1,020 |
| 24 | Personal Financial Advisors | $128,720 | $175,820 | 620 |
| 25 | Purchasing Managers | $128,670 | $135,990 | 70 |
The top-paying careers in South Dakota are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Radiologists, pays $519,339 more than the state average of $66,670 per year.
At the 90th percentile, experienced Radiologists professionals in SD can earn up to $669,020 annually — making it one of the most lucrative career paths in the state.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $128,670, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
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See how South Dakota's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.