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 %
Web Developers 11 $57,975 78.57%
Biological Technicians 11 $31,656 84.62%
Agricultural Engineers 10 $47,288 76.92%
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists 10 $44,350 83.33%
Materials Scientists 10 $52,536 83.33%
Microbiologists 10 $44,902 90.91%
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 9 $47,421 81.82%
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors 9 $39,425 81.82%
Surgeons 9 $151,916 81.82%
Engineers, All Other 8 $64,202 72.73%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Programmers 1 $55,578 33.33%
Instructional Coordinators 1 $55,182 33.33%
Electrical Engineers 1 $61,936 33.33%
Cooks, Fast Food 1 $21,923 33.33%
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 1 $55,370 33.33%
Travel Guides 1 $31,845 33.33%
Surgeons 1 $40,706 33.33%
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 1 $42,800 33.33%
Food Preparation Workers 1 $20,488 33.33%
General and Operations Managers 1 $151,819 33.33%
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 %
Sodak Labs Inc 1 $76,419 100.00%
Humana Inc 1 $78,042 100.00%
Questpay Inc 1 $79,248 100.00%
Savin Technologies Inc 1 $79,248 100.00%
Zensoft It Solutions Inc 1 $79,934 100.00%
Ch Robinson Worldwide Inc 1 $79,934 100.00%
Manitou Equipment America Llc 1 $80,122 100.00%
Byteware Inc 1 $81,869 100.00%
Advithri Technologies Llc 1 $82,722 100.00%
Konnectingtree Inc 1 $82,784 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Rb Farms 1 $36,046 100.00%
Global Dairy Lp 1 $22,173 100.00%
O O Feedlot Inc 1 $38,106 100.00%
Evergreen Farming 1 $36,046 100.00%
Scott Mathews 1 $38,106 100.00%
Joe Painter Farms 1 $21,611 100.00%
Mendel Farms Partnership 1 $38,106 100.00%
Madison Lawn Care Inc 1 $34,258 100.00%
Richard Weaver 1 $10,500 100.00%
Dan Voneye Sr 1 $36,046 100.00%
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