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 %
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 $51,418 100.00%
Zimbabwe 1 $119,725 100.00%
Argentina 1 $44,699 100.00%
Palestine 1 $47,861 100.00%
Belgium 1 $68,349 100.00%
Indonesia 1 $78,478 100.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Tata Consultancy Services Limited 444 $52,015 98.89%
South Dakota State University 249 $49,445 79.81%
Sanford Clinic 240 $169,088 88.24%
Avera Mckennan 185 $133,411 91.58%
Sioux Falls School District 49 5 142 $39,920 91.61%
My3tech Inc 109 $63,760 77.30%
University Of South Dakota 102 $51,824 88.70%
South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology 75 $59,777 81.52%
Sanford School Of Medicine Of The University Of South Dakota Residency 70 $47,161 90.91%
Sanford Health 65 $61,862 92.86%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
South Dakota State University 57 $50,584 13.07%
Valley Queen Cheese Factory Inc 38 $40,284 31.15%
Rapid City Regional Hospital 19 $179,015 22.09%
Wieber Steel Construction Llc 15 $26,224 18.07%
Black Hills State University 15 $48,053 20.27%
Dakota State University 10 $46,165 17.54%
Premier Bankcard Llc 10 $61,724 26.32%
Avera St Lukes 9 $101,779 26.47%
Deadwood Resort Llc 8 $23,005 28.57%
Sioux Falls School District 49 5 7 $34,003 33.33%

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Sheep Farming 66 $20,150 100.00%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming 51 $29,263 100.00%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming Including Feedlots 44 $31,595 100.00%
Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers 36 $28,205 100.00%
Other Animal Production 32 $30,129 100.00%
Dual Purpose Cattle Ranching And Farming 29 $33,008 100.00%
Soil Preparation Planting And Cultivating 26 $32,094 100.00%
All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming 25 $29,240 100.00%
Crop Production 18 $33,714 100.00%
Dairy Cattle And Milk Production 17 $30,741 100.00%

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 $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