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 %
Computer and Information Systems Managers 19 $98,427 86.36%
Accountants and Auditors 18 $56,837 85.71%
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 17 $41,016 80.95%
Chemists 16 $55,852 80.00%
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 16 $54,588 84.21%
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education 16 $45,839 88.89%
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 15 $46,805 83.33%
Financial Analysts 15 $58,323 88.24%
Information Security Analysts 15 $72,982 88.24%
Physical Therapists 15 $65,645 93.75%
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 %
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 %
Tata Consultancy Services Limited 450 $52,236 98.90%
South Dakota State University 274 $50,332 79.88%
Sanford Clinic 269 $161,460 89.37%
Avera Mckennan 214 $125,359 92.64%
Sioux Falls School District 49 5 160 $41,876 90.40%
My3tech Inc 113 $64,024 76.87%
University Of South Dakota 106 $52,123 89.08%
South Dakota School Of Mines And Technology 87 $60,911 81.31%
Sanford School Of Medicine Of The University Of South Dakota Residency 86 $48,518 92.47%
Sanford Health 75 $61,349 93.75%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Alewelt Concrete Inc 57 $31,308 100.00%
Riverview Llp 30 $30,960 100.00%
Sbh Ag Services Inc 27 $36,989 100.00%
Lake County Dairy 26 $30,328 100.00%
Western Range Association 24 $19,567 100.00%
Signet Construction Llc 24 $35,304 100.00%
Paul Taylor 19 $28,383 100.00%
Swenson Partnership 17 $29,170 100.00%
John Wieczorek Harvesting 17 $31,222 100.00%
Mundt Farm Ptn 16 $28,980 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
South Dakota State University 57 $50,584 13.07%
Valley Queen Cheese Factory Inc 38 $40,284 29.92%
Rapid City Regional Hospital 19 $179,015 17.27%
Black Hills State University 16 $48,562 17.58%
Wieber Steel Construction Llc 15 $26,224 17.24%
Two Ten Twenty Pizza Inc 14 $22,797 20.59%
Dakota State University 10 $46,165 17.54%
Premier Bankcard Llc 10 $61,724 26.32%
Avera St Lukes 9 $101,779 25.71%
Deadwood Resort Llc 8 $23,005 25.00%

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Full Service Restaurants 11 $27,656 61.11%
Casino Hotels 11 $21,309 64.71%
Oilseed And Grain Farming 10 $33,405 66.67%
Hog And Pig Farming 10 $47,426 90.91%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming 9 $37,911 81.82%
Geophysical Surveying And Mapping Services 8 $56,005 72.73%
Computer Systems Design Services 8 $54,488 72.73%
Hotels Except Casino Hotels And Motels 8 $21,752 80.00%
Other Grain Farming 6 $30,933 60.00%
Prefabricated Wood Building Manufacturing 6 $48,270 66.67%

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