Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area are those of family medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $229,820. The second highest-paying jobs are those of nurse anesthetists, with an average salary of $207,960.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$229,820	$106,350	110
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$207,960	$178,680	60
3	Chief Executives	$176,260	$159,100	120
4	General Dentists	$154,160	$80,000	100
5	Computer Network Architects	$148,820	$84,890	80
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$138,090	$95,990	60
7	Financial Managers	$134,050	$102,070	170
8	Sales Managers	$133,330	$63,790	110
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$128,920	$92,870	30
10	Pharmacists	$127,030	$99,810	280
11	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$125,430	$78,660	120
12	General and Operations Managers	$122,390	$77,530	1,030
13	Natural Sciences Managers	$120,570	$83,000	40
14	Personal Financial Advisors	$117,120	$89,340	130
15	Physician Assistants	$110,550	$98,520	110
16	Nurse Practitioners	$110,080	$83,980	140
17	Industrial Production Managers	$103,440	$75,160	320
18	Optometrists	$103,130	$61,010	60
19	Information Security Analysts	$102,540	$80,230	160
20	Construction Managers	$102,150	$74,930	100
21	Medical and Health Services Managers	$99,330	$76,060	220
22	Computer Occupations, All Other	$97,880	$60,140	50
23	Human Resources Managers	$97,680	$72,590	110
24	Chiropractors	$94,200	$49,360	100
25	Lawyers	$89,710	$55,370	180
26	Electrical Engineers	$89,250	$65,520	90
27	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$88,150	$74,250	50
28	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$85,650	$60,350	570
29	Administrative Services Managers	$85,580	$62,540	80
30	Veterinarians	$85,370	$60,280	70
31	Facilities Managers	$84,440	$59,300	80
32	Industrial Engineers	$83,210	$63,250	410
33	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$82,600	$62,390	210
34	Physical Therapists	$82,510	$74,090	240
35	Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers	$82,290	$57,060	100
36	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$82,170	$61,790	210
37	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$81,860	$55,290	280
38	Mechanical Engineers	$81,800	$61,020	240
39	Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers	$81,090	$50,910	130
40	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$81,080	$49,720	30
41	Postsecondary Chemistry Teachers	$80,920	$55,240	40
42	Computer Systems Analysts	$80,000	$63,230	150
43	Software Developers	$80,000	$61,190	300
44	Real Estate Sales Agents	$79,440	$43,130	120
45	Logisticians	$79,350	$52,450	70
46	Social and Community Service Managers	$79,080	$62,020	50
47	Civil Engineers	$78,730	$58,750	230
48	Other Business Operations Specialists	$77,980	$44,720	170
49	All Other Managers	$77,730	$46,060	110
50	Financial Analysts	$76,980	$55,050	110
51	Interior Designers	$76,730	$44,390	30
52	Loan Officers	$76,510	$50,370	510
53	Dental Hygienists	$76,350	$65,030	190
54	Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$76,310	$58,080	70
55	Management Analysts	$75,890	$48,760	660
56	Insurance Sales Agents	$75,380	$38,170	570
57	Occupational Therapists	$75,000	$61,000	90
58	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$74,470	$52,020	440
59	Electronics Engineers (Non Computer)	$74,080	$63,540	80
60	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$73,620	$46,980	130
61	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$71,560	$52,620	30
62	Animal Scientists	$70,010	$50,340	120
63	Postsecondary Psychology Teachers	$69,140	$44,320	40
64	Urban and Regional Planners	$68,860	$55,140	40
65	Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers	$68,830	$49,380	80
66	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$68,620	$44,100	1,510
67	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$67,000	$49,260	450
68	Accountants and Auditors	$66,670	$51,580	1,590
69	Food Scientists and Technologists	$66,250	$47,140	30
70	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$66,210	$45,650	110
71	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$66,190	$47,380	330
72	Postsecondary Education Teachers	$66,150	$51,220	110
73	Postsecondary Nursing Instructors and Teachers	$65,940	$45,600	160
74	Postsecondary Foreign Language and Literature Teachers	$65,890	$50,460	30
75	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$65,630	$50,780	520
76	Project Management Specialists	$64,890	$35,980	200
77	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$64,840	$48,500	870
78	Speech-Language Pathologists	$64,650	$50,480	70
79	Postsecondary Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers	$64,520	$45,840	30
80	Registered Nurses	$64,260	$50,010	2,660
81	Medical Equipment Repairers	$63,180	$36,910	30
82	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$62,890	$40,610	60
83	Credit Analysts	$62,880	$49,080	80
84	Other Biological Scientists	$62,450	$44,720	40
85	Postsecondary Art, Drama, and Music Teachers	$62,050	$50,160	110
86	Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists	$61,560	$46,850	40
87	Wind Turbine Service Technicians	$61,450	$51,310	70
88	Cost Estimators	$61,230	$46,710	210
89	Millwrights	$61,210	$38,440	40
90	Respiratory Therapists	$60,660	$48,350	60
91	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$60,600	$49,530	150
92	Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	$60,570	$33,120	40
93	Nuclear Medicine Technologists	$60,350	$59,700	30
94	Postsecondary Social Work Teachers	$60,240	$48,630	70
95	Chemists	$60,140	$39,390	60
96	Postsecondary Communications Teachers	$59,900	$47,390	60
97	Commercial Pilots	$59,860	$47,660	120
98	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$59,630	$52,500	80
99	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$59,590	$46,440	90
100	Food Service Managers	$59,580	$45,770	320

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$195,550
2	Sales Engineers	$165,160
3	Financial Managers	$129,990
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,960
5	Pharmacists	$127,050
6	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$125,930
7	Sales Managers	$125,770
8	General Dentists	$123,710
9	Natural Sciences Managers	$123,500
10	General and Operations Managers	$119,410

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$192,650
2	Sales Managers	$136,140
3	Financial Managers	$123,840
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$123,660
5	Pharmacists	$121,700
6	Personal Financial Advisors	$119,980
7	Natural Sciences Managers	$118,400
8	General and Operations Managers	$117,410
9	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$114,710
10	Physician Assistants	$106,170

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$200,240
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$193,000
3	Sales Managers	$129,250
4	Financial Managers	$121,520
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$119,790
6	Pharmacists	$118,910
7	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$116,830
8	General and Operations Managers	$114,910
9	Nurse Practitioners	$106,780
10	Physician Assistants	$102,100

Also see The most popular jobs in Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area.

Also see The most popular jobs in South Dakota, The top paying jobs in South Dakota.