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 Programmers 352 $49,663 94.88%
Computer Systems Analysts 295 $61,294 92.77%
Software Developers, Applications 244 $69,206 91.73%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 225 $170,122 89.29%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 188 $40,336 90.38%
Internists, General 113 $148,100 83.09%
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 110 $51,610 93.22%
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 102 $44,848 91.89%
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 73 $63,190 79.35%
Computer Occupations, All Other 73 $66,202 93.59%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Packers and Packagers, Hand 278 $20,507 99.29%
Slaughterers and Meat Packers 89 $29,619 63.12%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 56 $164,133 43.41%
Animal Scientists 52 $44,083 47.27%
Internists, General 49 $126,786 53.26%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 15 $21,004 22.06%
Agricultural Equipment Operators 13 $36,154 36.11%
Software Developers, Applications 13 $62,643 41.94%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 11 $45,202 40.74%
Pediatricians, General 11 $135,750 73.33%
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 %
Iran 4 $70,991 57.14%
Lebanon 4 $156,250 57.14%
Spain 4 $52,510 66.67%
Egypt 3 $109,976 50.00%
Jordan 3 $149,191 50.00%
Costa Rica 3 $31,536 60.00%
Jamaica 3 $20,467 60.00%
Turkey 3 $95,960 60.00%
El Salvador 2 $26,083 40.00%
Ecuador 2 $120,733 40.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Cod Cores Inc 3 $106,045 100.00%
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 3 $168,113 100.00%
Rapid City Regional Hospital Inc 3 $179,827 100.00%
Regional Health Physicians Inc 3 $192,151 100.00%
Avera Mckennan Hospital University Health Center 3 $183,387 100.00%
Sanford Clinic North 2 $0 66.67%
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra 2 $21,653 66.67%
Robert Sharp Associates 2 $34,091 66.67%
Mount Marty University 2 $32,247 66.67%
Cibergate Inc 2 $43,951 66.67%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Brett Huber 5 $36,271 100.00%
Shawn Gengerke 5 $34,154 100.00%
Bannwarth Ag Gp 5 $34,528 100.00%
Rocking Diamond Livestockcharles S Haak 5 $9,600 100.00%
Dan Jerrys Greenhouse Inc Sd 5 $35,859 100.00%
M D Farms Inc 5 $34,154 100.00%
Jeff Paplow Harvesting Llc 5 $37,319 100.00%
Mark Fulton 5 $34,769 100.00%
Jason Lamb Farm 5 $42,091 100.00%
Modak Dairy Inc 5 $35,913 100.00%
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