Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
South Dakota employs 30,240 Production professionals across 57 occupations. Explore salary ranges, top paying jobs, and career opportunities within the Production industry.
The best-compensated occupations within Production in South Dakota, based on median salary data.
Complete breakdown of all occupations in the Production industry in South Dakota, sorted by median salary (highest to lowest). Click any job title for state-specific salary details.
| # | Job Title | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | $130,270 | $120,960 | 30 | $62/hr |
| 2 | Gas Plant Operators | $101,450 | $97,770 | 90 | $48/hr |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $73,040 | $73,610 | 1,930 | $35/hr |
| 4 | Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | $68,090 | $64,300 | 90 | $32/hr |
| 5 | Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers | $66,650 | $66,720 | 80 | $32/hr |
| 6 | Chemical Plant and System Operators | $59,970 | $58,440 | 180 | $28/hr |
| 7 | Tool and Die Makers | $59,770 | $58,480 | 60 | $28/hr |
| 8 | Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | $53,370 | $55,750 | 1,060 | $25/hr |
| 9 | Medical Appliance Technicians | $52,950 | $57,840 | 30 | $25/hr |
| 10 | Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $52,520 | $51,970 | 150 | $25/hr |
| 11 | Machinists | $50,890 | $51,860 | 830 | $24/hr |
| 12 | Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | $50,800 | $50,680 | 180 | $24/hr |
| 13 | Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $50,780 | $50,950 | 270 | $24/hr |
| 14 | Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $50,750 | $52,790 | 1,420 | $24/hr |
| 15 | Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $49,620 | $50,370 | 50 | $23/hr |
| 16 | Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $49,440 | $51,980 | 3,250 | $23/hr |
| 17 | Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $49,000 | $46,830 | 510 | $23/hr |
| 18 | Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders | $48,830 | $51,430 | 230 | $23/hr |
| 19 | Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | $48,410 | $47,130 | 70 | $23/hr |
| 20 | Dental Laboratory Technicians | $48,370 | $52,040 | 120 | $23/hr |
| 21 | Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $48,330 | $49,630 | 120 | $23/hr |
| 22 | Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | $48,200 | $52,150 | 40 | $23/hr |
| 23 | Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $47,980 | $49,640 | 1,150 | $23/hr |
| 24 | Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | $47,240 | $49,990 | 1,090 | $22/hr |
| 25 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $46,910 | $45,160 | 130 | $22/hr |
| 26 | Prepress Technicians and Workers | $46,370 | $44,980 | 50 | $22/hr |
| 27 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $46,060 | $47,740 | 490 | $22/hr |
| 28 | Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $46,040 | $45,290 | 70 | $22/hr |
| 29 | Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters | $45,950 | $46,410 | 440 | $22/hr |
| 30 | Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | $45,930 | $44,630 | 550 | $22/hr |
| 31 | Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders | $45,520 | $44,430 | 80 | $21/hr |
| 32 | Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | $45,110 | $48,520 | 90 | $21/hr |
| 33 | Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders | $45,040 | $44,340 | 120 | $21/hr |
| 34 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $44,980 | $46,700 | 460 | $21/hr |
| 35 | Printing Press Operators | $44,930 | $46,110 | 460 | $21/hr |
| 36 | Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | $44,770 | $42,650 | 60 | $21/hr |
| 37 | Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $44,700 | $47,190 | 120 | $21/hr |
| 38 | Slaughterers and Meat Packers | $44,410 | $43,070 | 740 | $21/hr |
| 39 | Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | $44,290 | $44,140 | 2,080 | $21/hr |
| 40 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | $43,860 | $42,880 | 1,000 | $21/hr |
| 41 | Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $43,240 | $45,880 | 610 | $20/hr |
| 42 | Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $43,240 | $45,120 | 3,960 | $20/hr |
| 43 | Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | $43,180 | $44,310 | 980 | $20/hr |
| 44 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | $41,740 | $42,470 | 490 | $20/hr |
| 45 | Print Binding and Finishing Workers | $41,350 | $42,330 | 110 | $19/hr |
| 46 | Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $40,750 | $42,670 | 840 | $19/hr |
| 47 | Etchers and Engravers | $40,590 | $42,400 | 60 | $19/hr |
| 48 | Furniture Finishers | $39,340 | $41,870 | 110 | $18/hr |
| 49 | Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | $39,270 | $39,480 | 120 | $18/hr |
| 50 | Food Batchmakers | $39,200 | $40,340 | 660 | $18/hr |
| 51 | Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $39,060 | $40,130 | 130 | $18/hr |
| 52 | Sewing Machine Operators | $39,000 | $38,630 | 300 | $18/hr |
| 53 | Bakers | $38,340 | $39,050 | 330 | $18/hr |
| 54 | Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | $37,480 | $39,940 | 260 | $18/hr |
| 55 | Butchers and Meat Cutters | $37,310 | $41,060 | 520 | $17/hr |
| 56 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | $32,780 | $33,710 | 750 | $15/hr |
| 57 | Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers | $31,550 | $35,710 | 40 | $15/hr |
Explore salary data and job opportunities in other industries across South Dakota:
South Dakota has 57 Production occupations with 30,240 total employed workers (2025 BLS data).
The highest-paying Production occupation in South Dakota is Power Distributors and Dispatchers with a median salary of $130,270/year.
The average median salary across 57 Production occupations in South Dakota is $49,105/year.
Salaries in Production in South Dakota range from $28,100 (entry-level) to $142,960 (senior) across all occupations.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes organize jobs into groups. Production occupations use SOC prefix 51. Data comes from BLS OEWS.
Data: BLS OEWS 2025. Salary figures represent May 2025 compensation for occupations classified under SOC code 51* in South Dakota. Percentile ranges (P10–P90) reflect the lowest and highest earning 10% of workers. Our Methodology · Data Sources