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 %
Coaches and Scouts 7 $30,412 77.78%
Biochemists and Biophysicists 7 $41,496 87.50%
Chemical Engineers 7 $57,633 87.50%
Medical and Health Services Managers 6 $108,902 75.00%
Education Teachers, Postsecondary 6 $52,448 75.00%
Marketing Managers 6 $109,415 85.71%
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 6 $57,903 85.71%
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary 6 $47,373 85.71%
Biological Scientists, All Other 6 $38,974 85.71%
Network and Computer Systems Administrators 6 $54,199 100.00%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Programmers 1 $55,578 50.00%
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 1 $58,386 50.00%
Electrical Engineers 1 $61,936 50.00%
Chefs and Head Cooks 1 $40,373 50.00%
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 1 $55,370 50.00%
Librarians 1 $25,314 50.00%
Travel Guides 1 $31,845 50.00%
Psychiatrists 1 $187,199 50.00%
Cooks, Restaurant 1 $23,962 50.00%
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 1 $42,800 50.00%
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 %
Mobridge Regional Hospital 3 $37,891 75.00%
Integrity On Site Llc 3 $52,957 75.00%
Eagle Butte School District 20 1 3 $41,233 75.00%
Health Carousel Llc 3 $40,927 75.00%
Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc 3 $45,580 75.00%
Crow Creek Tribal Schools 3 $41,430 75.00%
Citadel Information Services Inc 3 $47,403 75.00%
Faulkton Area Schools 24 4 3 $40,610 75.00%
Horizon Softech Inc 3 $47,216 75.00%
Proxim Systems Inc 3 $62,081 75.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Al Meier 7 $32,745 100.00%
Scot Eisenbraun 7 $34,112 100.00%
Fall River Feedyard Llc 6 $32,393 100.00%
Jw Enterprise 6 $30,555 100.00%
Ericksons Custom Harvesting Trucking Llc 6 $30,597 100.00%
Jeremy Haven 6 $34,483 100.00%
Lodahl Farms 6 $35,935 100.00%
Frederick Farms Inc 6 $33,502 100.00%
Dakota Agrow Inc 6 $34,452 100.00%
Oberlitner Farms Inc 6 $34,781 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

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