Skilled Wages

Welder salary in South Dakota

Median $23.77 an hour for 3,250 welders, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$23.77/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$49,440/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.32 – $30.4710th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,250Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Welder pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $18.32 · 25th $21.98 · median $23.77 · 75th $28.54 · 90th $30.47South Dakota$23.77$18.32$30.47United States: 10th $18.87 · 25th $22.50 · median $25.84 · 75th $30.29 · 90th $37.28United States$25.84
Hourly wage percentiles for welders: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 45th of 51 states for median welder pay, and 29th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $26.83). 3,250 welders work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.32 – $21.98$38,100 – $45,710roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$21.98 – $28.54$45,710 – $59,360the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$28.54 – $30.47$59,360 – $63,380the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Welder pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSioux City: $27.99Sioux City$27.99Sioux Falls: $26.54Sioux Falls$26.54Rapid City: $24.85Rapid City$24.85
Median hourly wage for welders by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Sioux City$18.88$27.99$32.36$35.0044018% above
Sioux Falls$19.30$26.54$29.29$38.5285012% above
Rapid City$18.43$24.85$27.86$34.132005% above

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

Welder wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$5$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$25.84United States$23.77South Dakota
Median hourly wage for welders, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$10.69$20.66$12.583,440
2000$10.73$20.06$13.132,440
2001$11.41$20.74$13.701,850
2002$11.67$20.88$14.021,840
2003$11.89$20.80$14.251,770
2004$12.33$21.01$14.721,760
2005$12.18$20.08$14.902,030
2006$12.72$20.31$15.102,250
2007$13.24$20.56$15.512,310
2008$13.83$20.68$16.132,480
2009$14.30$21.46$16.712,240
2010$14.53$21.45$17.042,170
2011$14.73$21.08$17.272,650
2012$14.78$20.72$17.452,700
2013$15.33$21.19$17.662,890
2014$15.96$21.70$17.992,980
2015$16.63$22.59$18.343,280
2016$17.14$22.99$18.943,020
2017$17.75$23.31$19.353,000
2018$18.00$23.08$19.892,970
2019$18.40$23.17$20.433,130
2020$19.14$23.81$21.252,770
2021$18.90$22.46$22.603,150
2022$21.49$23.64$22.863,150
2023$22.26$23.52$23.533,510
2024$23.24$23.85$24.523,480
2025$23.77$23.77$25.843,250

In today's dollars, the median welder wage in South Dakota changed by +5.2% over the last ten years of data and by +2.6% since 2019.

Are there more welder jobs in South Dakota?

+3.8%Jobs since 20193,130 then, 3,250 in 2025
-0.9%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey
7.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 2.7× the US share, 1st of 51 states

Since 1999, the number of welders counted in South Dakota has changed by -5.5%, against +1.5% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +3.8%.

Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in South Dakota vs United States, 1999 = 100South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages406080100120200020052010201520202025102United States94South Dakota
Jobs counted by the BLS employer survey, South Dakota vs United States, indexed to 1999 = 100. Shaded bands mark survey method changes.
Table
YearSouth Dakota jobsSouth Dakota indexUS index
19993,440100100
20002,44071101
20011,8505493
20021,8405488
20031,7705286
20041,7605184
20052,0305987
20062,2506592
20072,3106794
20082,4807296
20092,2406587
20102,1706377
20112,6507777
20122,7007880
20132,8908486
20142,9808790
20153,2809594
20163,0208893
20173,0008792
20182,9708695
20193,13091100
20202,7708097
20213,1509297
20223,15092100
20233,510102103
20243,480101103
20253,25094102

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Outlook for welders in South Dakota

+10.1%Projected growth in South Dakota2024–2034, state agency
420Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
3,780Jobs in 20244,160 projected for 2034
+2.4%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

South Dakota's labor market agency projects the number of welders in the state to change by +10.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 3,780 to 4,160, with about 420 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 3,250 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

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.

Keep comparing

Welder pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

More on South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do welders make in South Dakota?

The median welder in South Dakota earned $23.77 an hour ($49,440 a year) in May 2025, 8% below the national median of $25.84. The middle half earn $21.98–$28.54; the top 10% earn more than $30.47.

Where does South Dakota rank for welder pay?

South Dakota ranks 45th of 51 states for welder pay, with a median of $23.77 an hour, and 29th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union welder rate in South Dakota?

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

How many welders work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 3,250 welders in South Dakota in May 2025, 7.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.66; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is welder work growing in South Dakota?

The BLS employer survey count of welders in South Dakota went from 3,280 in 2015 to 3,250 in 2025, -0.9%, and +3.8% since 2019. South Dakota's labor market agency projects +10.1% growth for welders between 2024 and 2034, from 3,780 to 4,160 jobs.

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

South Dakota projects about 420 openings a year for welders over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 40,300 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota and metro areas, SOC 51-4121. 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.