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 %
Computer Programmers 352 $49,663 94.88%
Computer Systems Analysts 295 $61,294 92.77%
Software Developers, Applications 248 $69,253 93.23%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 225 $170,122 89.29%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 142 $39,083 90.45%
Internists, General 113 $148,100 83.09%
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 92 $50,522 92.00%
Computer Occupations, All Other 73 $66,202 92.41%
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 67 $43,540 85.90%
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 63 $61,243 85.14%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Packers and Packagers, Hand 278 $20,507 99.29%
Slaughterers and Meat Packers 64 $29,619 45.39%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 55 $163,023 42.64%
Internists, General 49 $126,786 56.32%
Animal Scientists 49 $43,971 66.22%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 15 $21,004 41.67%
Software Developers, Applications 13 $62,643 41.94%
Agricultural Equipment Operators 12 $35,558 44.44%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 11 $45,202 73.33%
Structural Iron and Steel Workers 11 $26,252 73.33%
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 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 %
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