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 %
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 17 $41,016 80.95%
Accountants and Auditors 16 $55,663 80.00%
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 16 $54,746 84.21%
Soil and Plant Scientists 15 $40,477 78.95%
Chemists 15 $56,853 83.33%
Information Security Analysts 15 $72,982 88.24%
Physical Therapists 15 $65,645 88.24%
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 14 $46,560 87.50%
Financial Analysts 14 $55,906 93.33%
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary 14 $52,552 93.33%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Systems Analysts 3 $56,132 60.00%
Industrial Engineers 3 $74,949 60.00%
Medical and Health Services Managers 2 $57,512 40.00%
Education Teachers, Postsecondary 2 $54,090 50.00%
Geographers 2 $43,326 50.00%
Mechanical Engineering Technicians 2 $45,614 50.00%
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 2 $44,020 50.00%
Sheet Metal Workers 2 $49,171 50.00%
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary 2 $50,670 50.00%
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary 2 $49,219 50.00%
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 %
United States Of America 1 $40,690 33.33%
Switzerland 1 $26,146 33.33%
Russia 1 $38,958 50.00%
Libya 1 $216,798 50.00%
Portugal 1 $39,603 50.00%
Rwanda 1 $62,088 50.00%
Panama 1 $119,371 50.00%
Tunisia 1 $53,340 50.00%
Afghanistan 1 $51,418 50.00%
Zimbabwe 1 $119,725 50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Victory Inc 1 $25,002 50.00%
Sunterra Farms Iowa Inc 1 $28,392 50.00%
Sinte Gleska University 1 $28,630 50.00%
Mount Marty College Incorporated 1 $29,527 50.00%
Dakota Psychological Services Llc 1 $30,514 50.00%
Saint Francis Indian School 1 $31,590 50.00%
Selfridge School District 8 1 $31,640 50.00%
G Gehring Enterprises Llc 1 $32,115 50.00%
Jean Lous Massage And Reflexology 1 $32,365 50.00%
Sanford Health Network 1 $32,822 50.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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