Skilled Wages

Construction laborer salary in South Dakota

Median $21.98 an hour for 1,780 construction laborers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$21.98/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$45,710/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.91 – $25.1710th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,780Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Construction laborer pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $16.91 · 25th $18.42 · median $21.98 · 75th $23.14 · 90th $25.17South Dakota$21.98$16.91$25.17United States: 10th $16.87 · 25th $18.57 · median $22.66 · 75th $28.72 · 90th $37.54United States$22.66
Hourly wage percentiles for construction laborers: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 35th of 51 states for median construction laborer pay, and 20th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $24.81). 1,780 construction laborers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.5× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$16.91 – $18.42$35,180 – $38,300roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$18.42 – $23.14$38,300 – $48,120the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$23.14 – $25.17$48,120 – $52,350the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Construction laborer pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSioux City: $23.38Sioux City$23.38Sioux Falls: $22.53Sioux Falls$22.53Rapid City: $21.94Rapid City$21.94
Median hourly wage for construction laborers by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Sioux City$18.26$23.38$27.03$35.765606% above
Sioux Falls$17.54$22.53$24.87$27.737003% above
Rapid City$17.23$21.94$24.60$24.58410about the same as

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Construction laborer wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$5$10$15$20$25200020052010201520202025$22.66United States$21.98South Dakota
Median hourly wage for construction laborers, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$9.61$18.57$10.851,860
2000$9.57$17.89$11.152,190
2001$10.01$18.20$11.572,130
2002$10.25$18.34$11.902,220
2003$10.16$17.78$11.861,960
2004$10.33$17.61$12.102,140
2005$10.11$16.67$12.222,580
2006$10.52$16.80$12.662,610
2007$10.75$16.69$13.132,580
2008$11.04$16.51$13.712,570
2009$11.31$16.97$14.012,330
2010$11.55$17.05$14.082,180
2011$11.73$16.79$14.302,250
2012$12.13$17.01$14.422,150
2013$12.37$17.10$14.641,930
2014$12.67$17.23$14.951,850
2015$13.15$17.86$15.341,710
2016$13.61$18.26$16.071,740
2017$14.44$18.97$16.601,730
2018$14.30$18.33$17.211,580
2019$14.95$18.83$17.721,620
2020$15.76$19.60$18.221,600
2021$17.45$20.73$18.161,640
2022$17.44$19.19$19.591,650
2023$18.78$19.84$21.781,840
2024$20.90$21.45$22.471,690
2025$21.98$21.98$22.661,780

In today's dollars, the median construction laborer wage in South Dakota changed by +23.1% over the last ten years of data and by +16.8% since 2019.

Are there more construction laborer jobs in South Dakota?

3.9Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.6× the US share, 50th of 51 states

BLS counted 1,780 construction laborers in South Dakota in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 8%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for construction laborers in South Dakota

+13.1%Projected growth in South Dakota2024–2034, state agency
230Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
2,330Jobs in 20242,640 projected for 2034
+7.3%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

South Dakota's labor market agency projects the number of construction laborers in the state to change by +13.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,330 to 2,640, with about 230 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +7.3% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,780 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: South Dakota labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for construction laborers in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay construction laborers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $12.32). 66 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Aurora County at $10.74). The market median for the state is $21.98.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $10.74 (survey)Beadle: $13.73 (survey)Bennett: $11.68 (survey)Bon Homme: $10.74 (survey)Brookings: $13.73 (survey)Brown: $10.87 (survey)Brule: $11.68 (survey)Buffalo: $13.73 (survey)Butte: $12.32 (survey)Campbell: $12.32 (survey)Charles Mix: $10.00 (survey)Clark: $13.73 (survey)Clay: $10.74 (survey)Codington: $13.47 (survey)Corson: $12.32 (survey)Custer: $10.91 (survey)Davison: $10.74 (survey)Day: $13.73 (survey)Deuel: $13.73 (survey)Dewey: $12.32 (survey)Douglas: $10.74 (survey)Edmunds: $13.73 (survey)Fall River: $11.68 (survey)Faulk: $13.73 (survey)Grant: $13.73 (survey)Gregory: $11.68 (survey)Haakon: $12.32 (survey)Hamlin: $13.73 (survey)Hand: $13.73 (survey)Hanson: $10.74 (survey)Harding: $12.32 (survey)Hughes: $11.47 (survey)Hutchinson: $10.74 (survey)Hyde: $13.73 (survey)Jackson: $11.68 (survey)Jerauld: $13.73 (survey)Jones: $11.68 (survey)Kingsbury: $13.73 (survey)Lake: $10.74 (survey)Lawrence: $12.47 (survey)Lincoln: $18.42 (survey)Lyman: $11.68 (survey)McCook: $18.42 (survey)McPherson: $13.73 (survey)Marshall: $13.73 (survey)Meade: $13.31 (survey)Mellette: $11.68 (survey)Miner: $10.74 (survey)Minnehaha: $18.42 (survey)Moody: $10.74 (survey)Oglala Lakota: $11.42 (survey)Pennington: $11.24 (survey)Perkins: $12.32 (survey)Potter: $12.32 (survey)Roberts: $13.73 (survey)Sanborn: $10.74 (survey)Spink: $13.73 (survey)Stanley: $12.32 (survey)Sully: $12.32 (survey)Todd: $15.14 (survey)Tripp: $11.68 (survey)Turner: $18.42 (survey)Union: $18.42 (survey)Walworth: $12.32 (survey)Yankton: $10.74 (survey)Ziebach: $12.32 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$10.87$11.68$12.47$13.73survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for construction laborers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (survey)$10$15$20$25/hrLincoln (Sioux Falls): market median $22.53, prevailing (survey) $18.42, gap −$4.11Lincoln (Sioux Falls)−$4.11Union (Sioux City): market median $23.38, prevailing (survey) $18.42, gap −$4.96Union (Sioux City)−$4.96Meade (Rapid City): market median $21.94, prevailing (survey) $13.31, gap −$8.63Meade (Rapid City)−$8.63
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for construction laborers, metro counties in South Dakota.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
LincolnSurvey SUSD2012-023 2014-08-21$16.21$2.21$18.42SD20260026
McCookSurvey SUSD2012-028 2014-08-21$16.21$2.21$18.42SD20260031
MinnehahaSurvey SUSD2012-025 2014-08-21$16.21$2.21$18.42SD20260028
TurnerSurvey SUSD2012-028 2014-08-21$16.21$2.21$18.42SD20260031
UnionSurvey SUSD2012-027 2014-08-21$16.21$2.21$18.42SD20260030
ToddSurvey SUSD2012-015 2014-08-21$15.14$0.00$15.14SD20260018
BeadleSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
BrookingsSurvey SUSD2012-002 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260005
BuffaloSurvey SUSD2012-004 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260007
ClarkSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
DaySurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
DeuelSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
EdmundsSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
FaulkSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021
GrantSurvey SUSD2012-018 2014-08-21$11.45$2.28$13.73SD20260021

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the South Dakota prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in South Dakota?

32.1kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-09
+3.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202532kSep 2026
Construction employment in South Dakota (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just construction laborers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 45 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 12,682 in 2015 to 17,169 in 2025, +35.4%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Faulk County46$80,437$1,547
Douglas County850$79,526$1,529
Hutchinson County10108$75,967$1,461
Minnehaha County6265,743$75,174$1,446
Davison County62732$72,715$1,398
Sanborn County618$71,733$1,379
Grant County40228$70,411$1,354
Pennington County3942,950$68,558$1,318
Deuel County18105$65,955$1,268
Codington County90664$65,288$1,256
Meade County117612$64,894$1,248
Hamlin County44293$64,695$1,244

Keep comparing

Construction laborer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

More on South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do construction laborers make in South Dakota?

The median construction laborer in South Dakota earned $21.98 an hour ($45,710 a year) in May 2025, 3% below the national median of $22.66. The middle half earn $18.42–$23.14; the top 10% earn more than $25.17.

Where does South Dakota rank for construction laborer pay?

South Dakota ranks 35th of 51 states for construction laborer pay, with a median of $21.98 an hour, and 20th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union construction laborer rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a construction laborer classification for most South Dakota counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many construction laborers work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 1,780 construction laborers in South Dakota in May 2025, 3.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.55; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is construction laborer work growing in South Dakota?

South Dakota's labor market agency projects +13.1% growth for construction laborers between 2024 and 2034, from 2,330 to 2,640 jobs.

How many construction laborer openings a year are there in South Dakota?

South Dakota projects about 230 openings a year for construction laborers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 120,000 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota and metro areas, SOC 47-2061. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: South Dakota labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.