Skilled Wages

Plumber salary in South Dakota

Median $24.82 an hour for 1,760 plumbers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$24.82/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$51,620/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.86 – $35.8110th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,760Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Plumber pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $18.86 · 25th $22.18 · median $24.82 · 75th $29.83 · 90th $35.81South Dakota$24.82$18.86$35.81United States: 10th $21.22 · 25th $24.13 · median $30.67 · 75th $40.92 · 90th $52.13United States$30.67
Hourly wage percentiles for plumbers: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 50th of 51 states for median plumber pay, and 47th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $28.01). 1,760 plumbers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.9× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.86 – $22.18$39,230 – $46,140roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.18 – $29.83$46,140 – $62,050the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$29.83 – $35.81$62,050 – $74,480the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Plumber pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSioux City: $29.28Sioux City$29.28Rapid City: $26.85Rapid City$26.85Sioux Falls: $26.44Sioux Falls$26.44
Median hourly wage for plumbers by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Sioux City$21.92$29.28$33.85$46.8324018% above
Rapid City$19.01$26.85$30.10$35.793608% above
Sioux Falls$19.36$26.44$29.18$36.778107% above

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

Plumber wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$30.67United States$24.82South Dakota
Median hourly wage for plumbers, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.57$28.16$17.41940
2000$13.63$25.48$18.191,120
2001$14.35$26.09$18.611,080
2002$14.72$26.34$19.31960
2003$14.85$25.98$19.69900
2004$15.79$26.91$19.85860
2005$16.86$27.79$20.27790
2006$16.49$26.33$20.56950
2007$16.59$25.76$21.20980
2008$17.10$25.57$21.941,270
2009$17.32$25.99$22.271,230
2010$18.17$26.83$22.431,010
2011$17.69$25.32$22.961,040
2012$18.50$25.94$23.621,050
2013$18.72$25.87$24.131,040
2014$20.36$27.69$24.36900
2015$20.42$27.74$24.341,090
2016$19.91$26.71$24.741,240
2017$19.76$25.95$25.281,410
2018$20.18$25.87$25.921,510
2019$19.76$24.88$26.521,620
2020$20.64$25.67$27.081,570
2021$22.62$26.88$28.791,650
2022$23.60$25.96$28.891,660
2023$25.00$26.41$29.591,420
2024$24.42$25.06$30.271,800
2025$24.82$24.82$30.671,760

In today's dollars, the median plumber wage in South Dakota changed by -10.5% over the last ten years of data and by -0.3% since 2019.

Are there more plumber jobs in South Dakota?

3.8Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.3× the US share, 8th of 51 states

BLS counted 1,760 plumbers in South Dakota in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 11%. 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 plumbers in South Dakota

+10.0%Projected growth in South Dakota2024–2034, state agency
190Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
1,980Jobs in 20242,180 projected for 2034
+6.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

South Dakota's labor market agency projects the number of plumbers in the state to change by +10.0% between 2024 and 2034, from 1,980 to 2,180, with about 190 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +6.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,760 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 plumbers in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay plumbers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 14 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $50.60 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $24.22). 52 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Aurora County at $15.92). The market median for the state is $24.82.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $15.92 (survey)Beadle: $24.22 (survey)Bennett: $15.92 (survey)Bon Homme: $15.92 (survey)Brookings: $24.22 (survey)Brown: $24.22 (survey)Brule: $15.92 (survey)Buffalo: $24.22 (survey)Butte: $50.60 (union)Campbell: $50.60 (union)Charles Mix: $15.92 (survey)Clark: $24.22 (survey)Clay: $15.92 (survey)Codington: $24.22 (survey)Corson: $50.60 (union)Custer: $30.23 (survey)Davison: $15.92 (survey)Day: $24.22 (survey)Deuel: $24.22 (survey)Dewey: $50.60 (union)Douglas: $15.92 (survey)Edmunds: $24.22 (survey)Fall River: $15.92 (survey)Faulk: $24.22 (survey)Grant: $24.22 (survey)Gregory: $15.92 (survey)Haakon: $50.60 (union)Hamlin: $24.22 (survey)Hand: $24.22 (survey)Hanson: $15.92 (survey)Harding: $50.60 (union)Hughes: $50.60 (union)Hutchinson: $15.92 (survey)Hyde: $24.22 (survey)Jackson: $15.92 (survey)Jerauld: $24.22 (survey)Jones: $15.92 (survey)Kingsbury: $24.22 (survey)Lake: $15.92 (survey)Lawrence: $50.60 (union)Lincoln: $30.12 (survey)Lyman: $15.92 (survey)McCook: $30.12 (survey)McPherson: $24.22 (survey)Marshall: $24.22 (survey)Meade: $28.28 (survey)Mellette: $15.92 (survey)Miner: $15.92 (survey)Minnehaha: $30.12 (survey)Moody: $15.92 (survey)Oglala Lakota: $15.92 (survey)Pennington: $20.13 (survey)Perkins: $50.60 (union)Potter: $50.60 (union)Roberts: $24.22 (survey)Sanborn: $15.92 (survey)Spink: $24.22 (survey)Stanley: $50.60 (union)Sully: $50.60 (union)Todd: $15.92 (survey)Tripp: $15.92 (survey)Turner: $30.12 (survey)Union: $30.12 (survey)Walworth: $50.60 (union)Yankton: $15.92 (survey)Ziebach: $50.60 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$24.22survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for plumbers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (survey)$26$28$30$32/hrLincoln (Sioux Falls): market median $26.44, prevailing (survey) $30.12, gap +$3.68Lincoln (Sioux Falls)+$3.68Custer (Rapid City): market median $26.85, prevailing (survey) $30.23, gap +$3.38Custer (Rapid City)+$3.38Union (Sioux City): market median $29.28, prevailing (survey) $30.12, gap +$0.84Union (Sioux City)+$0.84
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for plumbers, metro counties in South Dakota.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ButteUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260008
CampbellUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260009
CorsonUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
DeweyUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260012
HaakonUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260013
HardingUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260014
HughesUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260015
LawrenceUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260016
PerkinsUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
PotterUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
StanleyUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
SullyUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
WalworthUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260019
ZiebachUnion PLUM0300-014 2024-05-01$34.90$15.70$50.60SD20260024
CusterSurvey SUSD2012-022 2014-08-21$21.23$9.00$30.23SD20260025

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 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just plumbers), 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
Meade County22261$81,831$1,574
Grant County842$80,178$1,542
Minnehaha County1031,794$73,747$1,418
Pennington County65807$71,100$1,367
Charles Mix County516$69,412$1,335
Clay County638$66,004$1,269
Hughes County13106$65,101$1,252
Brookings County19138$62,457$1,201
Lawrence County15102$62,278$1,198
Codington County19153$60,753$1,168
Yankton County1196$59,865$1,151
Kingsbury County618$59,223$1,139

Keep comparing

Plumber pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

More on South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do plumbers make in South Dakota?

The median plumber in South Dakota earned $24.82 an hour ($51,620 a year) in May 2025, 19% below the national median of $30.67. The middle half earn $22.18–$29.83; the top 10% earn more than $35.81.

Where does South Dakota rank for plumber pay?

South Dakota ranks 50th of 51 states for plumber pay, with a median of $24.82 an hour, and 47th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union plumber rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for plumbers in 14 counties, with a typical package of $50.60 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many plumbers work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 1,760 plumbers in South Dakota in May 2025, 3.8 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.28; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is plumber work growing in South Dakota?

South Dakota's labor market agency projects +10.0% growth for plumbers between 2024 and 2034, from 1,980 to 2,180 jobs.

How many plumber openings a year are there in South Dakota?

South Dakota projects about 190 openings a year for plumbers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 42,000 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota and metro areas, SOC 47-2152. 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.