We now have Quarter 4 H1B visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 PERM visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 H2A visa FY 2023 data.
Employer Search tool is moved to it's own page: "H1B Visa Data Search Tool"

South Dakota Foreign Labor Visa Stats (All Years)

Total Visas % of all Visas Average Wage Visa Type
3,930 49.46% $71,841 H-1B
3,166 39.84% $31,156 H-2A
815 10.26% $51,076 PERM
35 0.44% $50,361 E-3 Australian

As of May 2023, South Dakota has seen a total of 7,946 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in South Dakota is the H-1B visa with 3,930 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 49.46% of South Dakota's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the H-2A visa with 3,166 H-2A visas on record over all years accounting for 39.84% of South Dakota's total visas.

Top Occupations in South Dakota (All Years)

Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Hardware Engineers 1 $69,202 50.00%
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary 1 $53,263 50.00%
Sales Managers 1 $120,515 50.00%
Insurance Policy Processing Clerks 1 $21,944 50.00%
Budget Analysts 1 $45,302 50.00%
Farm and Ranch Managers 1 $60,653 50.00%
Geological and Petroleum Technicians 1 $31,803 50.00%
Social and Community Service Managers 1 $75,192 50.00%
Sports Medicine Physicians 1 $174,054 50.00%
Epidemiologists 1 $50,648 50.00%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
South Dakota Employees Over Time
South Dakota has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 259 employees were hired. South Dakota peaked in 2024 with 462 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 74 in 2025.

Top Countries with Workers in South Dakota From PERM Program (All Years)

Country # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Libya 1 $216,798 50.00%
Panama 1 $119,371 50.00%
Azerbaijan 1 $22,797 50.00%
Zimbabwe 1 $119,725 50.00%
Portugal 1 $39,603 50.00%
Cameroon 1 $56,500 50.00%
Kenya 1 $133,016 50.00%
Antigua And Barbuda 1 $208,000 100.00%
Switzerland 1 $26,146 100.00%
Israel 1 $42,328 100.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Vertical Bridge Management Llc 1 $60,320 100.00%
Emp Serv Llc 1 $60,653 100.00%
Techpillars Inc 1 $61,048 100.00%
Aquatech Bioenergy Llc 1 $61,568 100.00%
Technosoft Services Inc 1 $61,693 100.00%
Satyam Computer Services Ltd 1 $61,880 100.00%
Techland Inc 1 $62,067 100.00%
Optimal Solutions Integration Integration Inc 1 $62,296 100.00%
Cavalier It Inc 1 $62,338 100.00%
Pwa Building Services Llc 1 $62,483 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Sayler Harvesting 2 $23,130 100.00%
Charlie Korzan Custom Farming 2 $35,152 100.00%
Robert Bannwarth 2 $37,076 100.00%
Helicopter Flight Service Llc 2 $59,124 100.00%
Weinheimer Acres Llc 2 $37,076 100.00%
Hilltop Farms Llc 2 $24,055 100.00%
Rk Rausch 2 $26,770 100.00%
Wyatt Fulton 2 $28,371 100.00%
Dakota Nutrient Management Llc 2 $34,549 100.00%
Arnoldy Grain Inc 2 $37,076 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Custom Computer Programming Services 910 $58,724 95.09%
General Medical And Surgical Hospitals 742 $130,098 83.84%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 708 $51,354 86.76%
Elementary And Secondary Schools 402 $41,969 94.37%
Computer Systems Design Services 187 $65,732 91.22%
Engineering Services 57 $63,166 90.48%
Management Scientific And Technical Consulting Services 53 $63,575 88.33%
Dairy Cattle And Milk Production 43 $47,355 76.79%
Temporary Help Services 43 $62,379 89.58%
Credit Card Issuing 39 $66,455 86.67%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Oilseed And Grain Combination Farming 514 $32,923 100.00%
Other Crop Farming 417 $32,793 100.00%
Farm Labor Contractors And Crew Leaders 308 $33,153 100.00%
Crop Harvesting Primarily By Machine 268 $32,123 100.00%
Support Activities For Crop Production 133 $35,386 100.00%
Cattle Ranching And Farming 124 $33,113 100.00%
Apiculture 122 $32,079 100.00%
Cattle Feedlots 121 $33,806 100.00%
Oilseed And Grain Farming 116 $34,983 100.00%
Other Grain Farming 84 $33,759 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Poultry Processing 435 $20,283 100.00%
General Medical And Surgical Hospitals 263 $133,370 100.00%
Dairy Cattle And Milk Production 110 $44,914 69.18%
Animal Except Poultry Slaughtering 110 $29,619 100.00%
Custom Computer Programming Services 41 $62,959 37.27%
Cheese Manufacturing 38 $40,284 56.72%
Offices Of Physicians Except Mental Health Specialists 22 $156,519 53.66%
Limited Service Restaurants 15 $23,709 39.47%
Credit Card Issuing 11 $65,386 32.35%
Oil And Gas Pipeline And Related Structures Construction 11 $26,146 50.00%

South Dakota Wage Comparison to Other States (All Years)

The chart below compares The average wage in South Dakota to that of the top 9 states with the highest overall average H1-B wage. The average wage in South Dakota over all years is $71,841. The state with the highest average wage of H1-B workers for all states is CA with an average wage of $104,510.

State Avg Wage