Skilled Wages

Solar installer salary in South Dakota

Median $20.37 an hour for 50 solar photovoltaic installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 2025.

$20.37/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$42,380/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.06 – $35.3810th to 90th percentilehourly range
50Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Solar installer pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $18.06 · 25th $20.00 · median $20.37 · 75th $32.30 · 90th $35.38South Dakota$20.37$18.06$35.38United States: 10th $20.00 · 25th $22.45 · median $25.55 · 75th $30.23 · 90th $38.45United States$25.55
Hourly wage percentiles for solar photovoltaic installers: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 32nd of 32 states for median solar installer pay, and 30th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $22.99). 50 solar photovoltaic installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.06 – $20.00$37,560 – $41,600roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$20.00 – $32.30$41,600 – $67,180the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$32.30 – $35.38$67,180 – $73,590the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Union scale and prevailing wage for solar installers in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay solar installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 48 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $53.15 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $32.33). 18 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Butte County at $32.33). The market median for the state is $20.37.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $53.15 (union)Beadle: $53.15 (union)Bennett: $53.15 (union)Bon Homme: $53.15 (union)Brookings: $53.15 (union)Brown: $53.15 (union)Brule: $53.15 (union)Buffalo: $53.15 (union)Butte: $32.33 (survey)Campbell: $32.33 (survey)Charles Mix: $53.15 (union)Clark: $53.15 (union)Clay: $53.15 (union)Codington: $53.15 (union)Corson: $32.33 (survey)Custer: $22.58 (survey)Davison: $53.15 (union)Day: $53.15 (union)Deuel: $53.15 (union)Dewey: $32.33 (survey)Douglas: $53.15 (union)Edmunds: $53.15 (union)Fall River: $53.15 (union)Faulk: $53.15 (union)Grant: $53.15 (union)Gregory: $53.15 (union)Haakon: $32.33 (survey)Hamlin: $53.15 (union)Hand: $53.15 (union)Hanson: $53.15 (union)Harding: $32.33 (survey)Hughes: $32.33 (survey)Hutchinson: $53.15 (union)Hyde: $53.15 (union)Jackson: $53.15 (union)Jerauld: $53.15 (union)Jones: $53.15 (union)Kingsbury: $53.15 (union)Lake: $53.15 (union)Lawrence: $32.33 (survey)Lincoln: $53.15 (union)Lyman: $53.15 (union)McCook: $53.15 (union)McPherson: $53.15 (union)Marshall: $53.15 (union)Meade: $21.26 (survey)Mellette: $53.15 (union)Miner: $53.15 (union)Minnehaha: $53.15 (union)Moody: $53.15 (union)Oglala Lakota: $53.15 (union)Pennington: $23.08 (survey)Perkins: $32.33 (survey)Potter: $32.33 (survey)Roberts: $53.15 (union)Sanborn: $53.15 (union)Spink: $53.15 (union)Stanley: $32.33 (survey)Sully: $32.33 (survey)Todd: $53.15 (union)Tripp: $53.15 (union)Turner: $53.15 (union)Union: $53.15 (union)Walworth: $32.33 (survey)Yankton: $30.29 (survey)Ziebach: $32.33 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$32.33survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for solar installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AuroraUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260004
BeadleUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260021
BennettUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260022
Bon HommeUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260023
BrookingsUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260005
BrownUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260006
BruleUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260022
BuffaloUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260007
Charles MixUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260010
ClarkUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260021
ClayUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260023
CodingtonUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260011
DavisonUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260023
DayUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260021
DeuelUnion ELEC0426-002 2025-06-01$36.32$16.83$53.15SD20260021

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. 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?

33.2kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-08
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202533kAug 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 electrical contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just solar installers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Minnehaha County1,363$89,909$1,729
Beadle County46$79,681$1,532
Pennington County573$76,688$1,475
Hamlin County65$73,783$1,419
Charles Mix County5$68,403$1,315
Butte County41$68,252$1,313
Lincoln County270$64,764$1,245
Union County37$62,872$1,209
Hughes County34$59,366$1,142
Clay County15$57,570$1,107
Sanborn County10$55,297$1,063
Yankton County47$51,212$985

Keep comparing

Solar installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do solar installers make in South Dakota?

The median solar installer in South Dakota earned $20.37 an hour ($42,380 a year) in May 2025, 20% below the national median of $25.55. The middle half earn $20.00–$32.30; the top 10% earn more than $35.38.

Where does South Dakota rank for solar installer pay?

South Dakota ranks 32nd of 32 states for solar installer pay, with a median of $20.37 an hour, and 30th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union solar installer rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for solar installers in 48 counties, with a typical package of $53.15 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many solar installers work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 50 solar photovoltaic installers in South Dakota in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.51; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota and metro areas, SOC 47-2231.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.