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 %
Mathematical Science Occupations, All Other 1 $43,867 50.00%
Detectives and Criminal Investigators 1 $57,491 50.00%
Writers and Authors 1 $27,248 100.00%
Biomedical Engineers 1 $38,709 100.00%
Hydrologists 1 $47,237 100.00%
Database Architects 1 $41,309 100.00%
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers 1 $87,610 100.00%
Financial Managers 1 $98,592 100.00%
Architectural and Civil Drafters 1 $37,752 100.00%
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 1 $59,696 100.00%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
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 %
Syria 2 $126,661 66.67%
Nicaragua 2 $46,020 66.67%
Portugal 1 $39,603 33.33%
Cameroon 1 $56,500 50.00%
Kenya 1 $133,016 50.00%
Antigua And Barbuda 1 $208,000 50.00%
Switzerland 1 $26,146 50.00%
Israel 1 $42,328 50.00%
Afghanistan 1 $51,418 50.00%
Belgium 1 $68,349 50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Corporate Computer Services Inc 1 $41,933 50.00%
2035 Pma 1 $41,974 100.00%
Royal C Johnson Va Medical Center 1 $42,013 100.00%
Garret Tenbroek Cpa Pc 1 $42,037 100.00%
Amensys Inc 1 $42,182 100.00%
Us Nisshin Shokai Inc 1 $42,578 100.00%
Isna Wica Owayawa 1 $42,640 100.00%
Willow Lake School District 12 3 1 $42,790 100.00%
Northern Beef Packers Lp 1 $42,827 100.00%
L And T Technology Services Ltd 1 $42,827 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Providence Inc 3 $39,978 100.00%
Rolling Acre Farms Inc 3 $34,854 100.00%
Mccloud Ranch 3 $35,450 100.00%
J L Farms Inc 3 $28,551 100.00%
Pederson Honey Farms Llc 3 $36,046 100.00%
Skyler Scott Dowling 3 $34,452 100.00%
Michael Sonja Watson 3 $30,333 100.00%
Evergreen Farming Llc 3 $35,138 100.00%
Monte Archer 3 $22,651 100.00%
Bill Campbell 3 $10,500 100.00%
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