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
3,409 50.35% $72,478 H-1B
2,575 38.04% $29,610 H-2A
752 11.11% $51,320 PERM
34 0.50% $50,236 E-3 Australian

As of May 2023, South Dakota has seen a total of 6,770 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in South Dakota is the H-1B visa with 3,409 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 50.35% of South Dakota's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the H-2A visa with 2,575 H-2A visas on record over all years accounting for 38.04% of South Dakota's total visas.

Top Occupations in South Dakota (All Years)

Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Pediatricians, General 26 $171,630 89.66%
Hospitalists 26 $204,033 92.86%
Management Analysts 23 $66,501 88.46%
Electrical Engineers 23 $63,660 88.46%
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary 23 $58,906 92.00%
Civil Engineers 21 $66,780 87.50%
Operations Research Analysts 20 $57,450 86.96%
Geographers 20 $45,166 86.96%
Software Developers, Systems Software 19 $68,220 82.61%
Computer and Information Systems Managers 19 $98,427 86.36%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Agricultural Inspectors 2 $31,179 9.09%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 1 $66,560 5.00%
Sheet Metal Workers 1 $36,046 5.26%
Crane and Tower Operators 1 $41,600 5.88%
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers 1 $36,046 6.25%
Roofers 1 $38,709 6.25%
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 2023 with 340 employees, and the recent trend shows the average number of employees on an incline.

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

Country # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Philippines 15 $59,769 45.45%
Mongolia 14 $27,402 45.16%
Honduras 14 $43,860 51.85%
Canada 12 $97,224 60.00%
Thailand 12 $52,423 70.59%
Pakistan 11 $114,315 78.57%
China 10 $51,642 71.43%
Nigeria 10 $61,845 71.43%
Ukraine 4 $43,659 44.44%
Iran 4 $70,991 57.14%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Cognizant Technology Solutions Us Corp 41 $68,409 80.39%
Sanford Research 37 $51,664 88.10%
Niit Technologies Limited 37 $65,321 90.24%
Sicangu Oyate Ho Inc 34 $41,099 85.00%
Cognizant Technology Solutions Us Corporation 33 $61,194 86.84%
Premier Bankcard Llc 30 $64,440 85.71%
Sanford School Of Medicine Of The University Of So 29 $39,864 85.29%
Dakota State University 28 $50,303 82.35%
Avera St Lukes Hospital 28 $153,327 87.50%
Rapid City Regional Hospital 25 $177,469 89.29%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Burnham Bros 6 $37,939 31.58%
Pipestone Holdings Llc 5 $59,022 33.33%
Philip Health Services Inc 4 $45,100 26.67%
Childrens Acute Care Pc 4 $177,782 26.67%
Kylan Meier 4 $29,266 33.33%
D D Restaurants Inc 4 $20,368 33.33%
Summit Contracting Inc 3 $49,109 30.00%
Abs Global Inc 3 $41,975 30.00%
Atlantis Llc 3 $19,635 33.33%
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital Inc 3 $188,053 37.50%

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Custom Computer Programming Services 875 $58,071 95.32%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 637 $50,500 79.72%
General Medical And Surgical Hospitals 619 $137,287 89.45%
Elementary And Secondary Schools 270 $40,383 94.74%
Computer Systems Design Services 174 $64,449 91.58%
Engineering Services 50 $62,921 90.91%
Dairy Cattle And Milk Production 43 $47,355 89.58%
Offices Of Physicians Except Mental Health Specialists 37 $167,025 84.09%
Other Computer Related Services 36 $61,845 90.00%
Credit Card Issuing 35 $66,565 87.50%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Oilseed And Grain Combination Farming 397 $31,652 100.00%
Other Crop Farming 339 $31,602 100.00%
Farm Labor Contractors And Crew Leaders 246 $31,524 100.00%
Crop Harvesting Primarily By Machine 220 $30,340 100.00%
Support Activities For Crop Production 124 $34,732 100.00%
Apiculture 100 $30,877 100.00%
Cattle Ranching And Farming 88 $31,415 100.00%
Cattle Feedlots 75 $31,609 100.00%
Oilseed And Grain Farming 74 $33,235 100.00%
Other Grain Farming 66 $32,605 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
General Medical And Surgical Hospitals 250 $134,694 57.47%
Dairy Cattle And Milk Production 105 $44,956 42.00%
Cheese Manufacturing 38 $40,284 25.00%
Casino Hotels 11 $21,309 10.48%
Credit Card Issuing 11 $65,386 14.86%
Oil And Gas Pipeline And Related Structures Construction 11 $26,146 28.95%
Full Service Restaurants 10 $28,230 27.78%
Hog And Pig Farming 10 $47,426 30.30%
Oilseed And Grain Farming 8 $32,805 36.36%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming 8 $39,104 47.06%

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 $72,478. The state with the highest average wage of H1-B workers for all states is CA with an average wage of $100,819.

State Avg Wage