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 %
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 %
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 %
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing 1 $72,259 100.00%
Offices Of Chiropractors 1 $47,237 100.00%
Horses And Other Equine Production 1 $18,304 100.00%
Hardware Manufacturing 1 $37,960 100.00%
Environmental Consulting Services 1 $64,771 100.00%
Trusts Estates And Agency Accounts 1 $43,576 100.00%
Offices Of Dentists 1 $241,717 100.00%
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing 1 $55,307 100.00%
All Other Insurance Related Activities 1 $62,878 100.00%
Apiculture 1 $43,285 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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