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 %
Web Developers 11 $57,975 78.57%
Biological Technicians 11 $31,656 84.62%
Agricultural Engineers 10 $47,288 76.92%
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists 10 $44,350 83.33%
Materials Scientists 10 $52,536 83.33%
Microbiologists 10 $44,902 90.91%
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 9 $47,421 81.82%
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors 9 $39,425 81.82%
Surgeons 9 $151,916 81.82%
Engineers, All Other 8 $64,202 72.73%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Cost Estimators 1 $47,861 33.33%
Cooks, All Other 1 $26,146 33.33%
Compliance Managers 1 $77,459 33.33%
Home Economics Teachers, Postsecondary 1 $39,020 33.33%
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 1 $58,386 33.33%
Veterinarians 1 $57,491 33.33%
Computer and Information Systems Managers 1 $87,298 33.33%
Chefs and Head Cooks 1 $40,373 33.33%
Computer Programmers 1 $55,578 33.33%
Librarians 1 $25,314 33.33%
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 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 %
Asrc Research And Technology Solutions 3 $51,113 75.00%
Tech Mahindra Americasinc 3 $44,533 75.00%
Little Wound School 3 $44,052 75.00%
Resource Infosoft Inc 3 $52,236 100.00%
Earth Resources Technology Inc 3 $54,579 100.00%
Comtek Global Inc 3 $61,117 100.00%
Avera Health 3 $65,513 100.00%
Prairie Lakes Health Care System Inc 3 $60,653 100.00%
Shiv Shakti Llc 3 $47,653 100.00%
Softhq Inc 3 $50,322 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Jrs Harvesting Inc 6 $35,571 100.00%
Jl Maher Inc 6 $33,048 100.00%
Reh Farms Inc 6 $33,446 100.00%
Lynn Jensen Farm 6 $34,635 100.00%
C E Rausch Farms Llc 6 $32,562 100.00%
Brown Agronomy Llc 6 $33,446 100.00%
Nelson Farms 6 $29,470 100.00%
Aaron Frerichs 6 $33,446 100.00%
Jerry Kaup 6 $35,935 100.00%
Jasen Albrecht 6 $33,758 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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