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 %
Agricultural Inspectors 1 $42,224 100.00%
Acupuncturists 1 $53,456 100.00%
Clergy 1 $45,094 100.00%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 1 $60,195 100.00%
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 1 $25,002 100.00%
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 1 $45,926 100.00%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 1 $62,483 100.00%
Massage Therapists 1 $32,365 100.00%
Supply Chain Managers 1 $77,355 100.00%
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other 1 $36,020 100.00%
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 %
Mongolia 17 $27,794 42.50%
Philippines 16 $58,873 50.00%
Canada 15 $98,088 50.00%
Honduras 14 $43,860 63.64%
Thailand 13 $64,390 59.09%
Nigeria 12 $70,770 75.00%
Pakistan 12 $109,559 80.00%
China 10 $51,642 66.67%
Colombia 5 $35,643 45.45%
Ukraine 5 $39,487 71.43%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Sioux Nation Pet Clinic Inc 1 $58,510 100.00%
Mastel Precision Inc 1 $58,531 100.00%
Manitou Americas Inc 1 $58,968 100.00%
Infinite Computer Solutions Inc 1 $59,322 100.00%
Compugain Llc 1 $59,322 100.00%
Nexzentek Solutions Inc 1 $59,322 100.00%
Winner Regional Healthcare Center 1 $59,342 100.00%
Mastech Inc A Mastech Holdings Inc Company 1 $60,000 100.00%
Seven Seas Technologies Inc Dba S2tech 1 $60,154 100.00%
Mercy Health Services Iowa Corp 1 $60,299 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Edna Foth Farms 2 $24,804 100.00%
Chad Wosje 2 $35,152 100.00%
Rankin Sons Inc 2 $37,076 100.00%
Michael Brosnan 2 $29,203 100.00%
Steve N Simon 2 $37,076 100.00%
Jamie Voneye 2 $26,770 100.00%
Mason Peckham 2 $220 100.00%
Jay Eichstadt 2 $36,046 100.00%
Flying S Ranch 2 $37,076 100.00%
Funk Harvesting Llc 2 $29,141 100.00%
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