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 %
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers 7 $34,513 14.89%
Fence Erectors 7 $37,606 15.56%
Nursery Workers 5 $34,445 11.90%
Helpers--Carpenters 5 $35,460 12.20%
Carpenters 3 $38,861 8.11%
Helpers--Electricians 3 $36,137 8.33%
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 3 $33,453 8.57%
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation 2 $35,152 5.88%
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 2 $34,258 6.45%
Agricultural Inspectors 2 $31,179 6.45%
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 %
Vietnam 84 $24,503 50.00%
Brazil 65 $32,278 41.40%
Mexico 61 $42,356 42.36%
Burma (myanmar) 45 $20,361 39.47%
India 39 $119,488 56.52%
Cambodia 29 $23,767 52.73%
Nepal 29 $62,139 52.73%
Bangladesh 29 $29,916 53.70%
South Africa 24 $33,443 52.17%
South Korea 24 $44,885 60.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Sanford Researchusd 9 $37,392 81.82%
Lower Brule Day School 9 $41,155 90.00%
Sgt Inc 9 $59,865 90.00%
Deloitte Consulting Llp 9 $61,589 90.00%
Sencore Inc 9 $68,804 90.00%
Cyberthink Inc 9 $67,438 90.00%
Raven Industries Inc 9 $82,897 90.00%
Queryai Inc 9 $75,538 100.00%
Continental Casualty Company 9 $84,409 100.00%
Wurth Electronics Midcom Inc 8 $53,044 88.89%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Rocking Diamond Livestock 11 $20,154 100.00%
Anderson Bros Farms Llc 11 $31,578 100.00%
Kirk Aughenbaugh Agriculture 11 $28,057 100.00%
Kent Schneider 10 $30,717 100.00%
Vanwell Livestock Inc 10 $16,043 100.00%
Baldwin Ag Llc 10 $31,947 100.00%
Burnham Bros 10 $33,727 100.00%
Jeffery Paplow 10 $23,044 100.00%
Jon Hofer 10 $31,949 100.00%
Karlen Ranch 10 $30,197 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Regional Health Network Inc 1 $47,736 33.33%
Vertical Bridge Management Llc 1 $51,418 33.33%
Daktronics Inc 1 $55,370 33.33%
Marc Lippens Dba Lippens Agria Dairy 1 $68,349 33.33%
Toshiba America Business Solutions 1 $63,107 33.33%
Coeur Mining Inc 1 $114,962 33.33%
W Brown Farm Ltd 1 $27,726 33.33%
Advanced Technologies Inc 1 $45,614 33.33%
American Connections 1 $31,845 33.33%
Edco Health Information Solutions Inc 1 $57,429 33.33%

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