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 %
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 %
Avera St Marys Hospital 8 $45,409 88.89%
Syntel Inc 8 $71,872 88.89%
Syntel Consulting Inc 8 $71,872 88.89%
Business Resources Ltd 8 $68,050 88.89%
Trident Trust Company South Dakota Inc 8 $69,269 88.89%
Tiospa Zina Tribal School 8 $46,342 88.89%
Zensar Technologies Inc 8 $67,673 88.89%
Citibank Na 8 $91,507 100.00%
Childrens Acute Care Pc 8 $194,465 100.00%
Pahin Sinte Owayawa 7 $39,236 87.50%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Chad And Rhonda Wosje 10 $28,619 100.00%
Calhoon Ranch 10 $31,235 100.00%
Coteau Tiling 10 $33,334 100.00%
Fulton Ag Llc 10 $35,008 100.00%
Jones Farms 10 $30,905 100.00%
Veal Black Angus Ranch 10 $20,191 100.00%
Morrison Family Farm Llc 10 $34,008 100.00%
Mike Brosnan 10 $29,935 100.00%
Webb Ranch Llc 10 $19,183 100.00%
Marchuk Honey 10 $30,815 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Sanford Medical Center 1 $42,453 33.33%
Hollmann Apiaries 1 $29,072 33.33%
Golden Dakota Farms Llc 1 $57,491 33.33%
Just Kidding Child Care Center 1 $60,029 33.33%
Granite View Farms Inc 1 $44,408 33.33%
Sanford Clinic North 1 $44,034 33.33%
Genpro Energy Solutions 1 $69,742 33.33%
Kc Dairies Llp 1 $39,728 33.33%
Lifebase Solutions Llc 1 $62,442 33.33%
Hs Precision Inc 1 $72,862 50.00%

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