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 %
Syria 2 $126,661 66.67%
Nicaragua 2 $46,020 66.67%
Portugal 1 $39,603 33.33%
Cameroon 1 $56,500 50.00%
Kenya 1 $133,016 50.00%
Antigua And Barbuda 1 $208,000 50.00%
Switzerland 1 $26,146 50.00%
Israel 1 $42,328 50.00%
Afghanistan 1 $51,418 50.00%
Belgium 1 $68,349 50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in South Dakota (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
It Scient Llc 1 $39,062 50.00%
Saputo Cheese Usa Inc 1 $39,166 50.00%
National Pasteurized Eggs Llc 1 $39,166 50.00%
Wolakota Waldorf Society 1 $39,670 50.00%
Corny Beef Inc 1 $39,770 50.00%
Stellar Software Network Inc 1 $40,768 50.00%
Integrity On Sitellc 1 $40,768 50.00%
Tallgrass Public Relations 1 $41,579 50.00%
Agrigenetics Dba Mycogen Corporation A Subsidia 1 $41,683 50.00%
Electric Power Research Institute Incepri 1 $41,850 50.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Michael Bollweg 3 $25,334 100.00%
Diamond W Land And Cattle Co 3 $28,579 100.00%
Edward Van Beek Dba Van Beek Harvesting 3 $20,835 100.00%
Chris Waldner And Sons Construction 3 $34,514 100.00%
Mark Barber Farms 3 $36,137 100.00%
Kevin Ahlemeier Farms Inc 3 $24,801 100.00%
Edgar Bros 3 $36,733 100.00%
Matzen Partnership 3 $24,669 100.00%
Solberg Farms 3 $36,137 100.00%
Hollmann Apiaries 3 $25,438 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

Top Industries in South Dakota (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Poultry And Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers 1 $28,267 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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