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 %
Materials Scientists 9 $52,473 75.00%
Instructional Coordinators 9 $45,282 75.00%
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 9 $47,421 75.00%
Physicists 9 $61,450 81.82%
Registered Nurses 9 $54,521 81.82%
Surgeons 9 $151,916 81.82%
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists 8 $41,668 72.73%
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 8 $45,101 88.89%
Engineers, All Other 8 $64,202 88.89%
Coaches and Scouts 7 $30,412 77.78%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Music Directors and Composers 1 $62,837 33.33%
Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program 1 $60,029 33.33%
Cost Estimators 1 $47,861 33.33%
Compliance Managers 1 $77,459 33.33%
Veterinarians 1 $57,491 33.33%
Computer and Information Systems Managers 1 $87,298 33.33%
Curators 1 $39,603 33.33%
Computer Programmers 1 $55,578 33.33%
Electrical Engineers 1 $61,936 50.00%
Home Economics Teachers, Postsecondary 1 $39,020 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 %
Nursery And Tree Production 16 $31,608 100.00%
Greenhouse Nursery And Floriculture Production 14 $34,458 100.00%
Agriculture Forestry Fishing And Hunting 13 $34,214 100.00%
Animal Production And Aquaculture 10 $33,205 100.00%
Fur Bearing Animal And Rabbit Production 10 $30,341 100.00%
Soybean Farming 10 $30,769 100.00%
Wheat Farming 9 $31,671 100.00%
Support Activities For Agriculture And Forestry 9 $35,108 100.00%
All Other Crop Farming 9 $32,538 100.00%
Hog And Pig Farming 9 $30,123 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Audio And Video Equipment Manufacturing 1 $56,618 12.50%
Museums 1 $39,603 16.67%
Farm Machinery And Equipment Manufacturing 1 $88,816 20.00%
Promoters Of Performing Arts Sports And Similar Events Without Facilities 1 $46,550 20.00%
Fur Bearing Animal And Rabbit Production 1 $27,726 20.00%
Child Care Services 1 $60,029 20.00%
Highway Street And Bridge Construction 1 $35,006 25.00%
Tour Operators 1 $31,845 25.00%
Medical Laboratories 1 $36,100 25.00%
Turkey Production 1 $69,451 33.33%

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