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

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Western 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 Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area are those of family medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $227,760. The second highest-paying jobs are those of nurse anesthetists, with an average salary of $202,430.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Western 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 Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$227,760	$106,350	50
2	Nurse Anesthetists	$202,430	$183,960	30
3	Chief Executives	$196,750	$103,570	40
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$163,020	$101,400	60
5	Nurse Practitioners	$128,010	$97,860	90
6	Physician Assistants	$126,340	$109,120	70
7	Pharmacists	$122,930	$91,420	140
8	General and Operations Managers	$120,570	$77,530	560
9	General Dentists	$106,610	$80,000	30
10	Financial Managers	$105,000	$84,720	70
11	Medical and Health Services Managers	$104,160	$74,980	170
12	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$100,410	$81,270	30
13	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$97,830	$59,420	180
14	Natural Sciences Managers	$95,220	$79,960	40
15	Construction Managers	$94,300	$77,290	50
16	Physical Therapists	$93,350	$76,390	110
17	Veterinarians	$92,930	$58,740	50
18	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$89,820	$62,390	60
19	Computer Systems Analysts	$84,610	$58,450	90
20	Human Resources Managers	$84,010	$65,870	30
21	Facilities Managers	$83,870	$65,160	40
22	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$83,280	$55,290	180
23	Information Security Analysts	$83,180	$60,530	50
24	All Other Managers	$82,430	$47,670	80
25	Administrative Services Managers	$81,950	$51,370	50
26	Other Education Administrators	$81,680	$64,580	60
27	Lawyers	$80,180	$55,830	260
28	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$79,730	$62,550	160
29	Computer Occupations, All Other	$79,560	$45,320	40
30	Software Developers	$79,460	$57,120	250
31	Database Administrators	$79,090	$63,520	30
32	Occupational Therapists	$78,550	$60,320	40
33	Dental Hygienists	$77,780	$67,170	70
34	Social and Community Service Managers	$76,770	$63,930	70
35	Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$75,820	$63,020	40
36	Other Biological Scientists	$75,030	$44,720	60
37	Civil Engineers	$74,960	$56,510	310
38	Environmental Engineers	$70,620	$51,310	30
39	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$70,030	$47,720	190
40	Other Teachers and Instructors	$69,580	$53,340	50
41	Real Estate Sales Agents	$69,310	$43,130	80
42	Registered Nurses	$67,380	$50,630	1,400
43	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$67,360	$41,460	410
44	Postsecondary Business Teachers	$67,000	$48,600	40
45	Other Business Operations Specialists	$66,790	$46,430	150
46	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$66,410	$40,850	70
47	Loan Officers	$66,210	$48,700	240
48	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$65,670	$52,210	50
49	Management Analysts	$65,560	$46,950	400
50	Budget Analysts	$65,520	$50,560	40
51	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$64,250	$47,650	220
52	Conservation Scientists	$63,840	$44,470	150
53	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$63,340	$49,930	100
54	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$63,080	$46,530	130
55	Speech-Language Pathologists	$63,040	$49,440	50
56	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$62,570	$38,200	60
57	Radiologic Technologists	$62,550	$49,240	110
58	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$62,400	$49,710	310
59	Paralegals and Legal Assistants	$62,330	$45,300	100
60	Accountants and Auditors	$62,250	$49,980	970
61	Postsecondary Education Teachers	$62,170	$58,520	40
62	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$61,600	$46,960	40
63	Instructional Coordinators	$61,380	$37,120	60
64	Commercial Pilots	$60,740	$46,940	60
65	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$60,400	$50,790	70
66	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	$59,940	$46,770	70
67	Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers	$59,870	$44,040	40
68	Insurance Sales Agents	$59,740	$43,550	310
69	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$59,720	$43,920	50
70	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$59,260	$41,320	140
71	Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	$59,220	$43,040	60
72	Food Service Managers	$59,180	$45,640	130
73	Project Management Specialists	$58,970	$42,310	120
74	Urban and Regional Planners	$58,220	$50,560	50
75	Postsecondary Communications Teachers	$58,090	$50,440	30
76	Soil and Plant Scientists	$57,560	$47,980	40
77	Cost Estimators	$57,370	$44,490	60
78	Compliance Officers	$57,320	$43,280	310
79	Electricians	$55,940	$37,500	250
80	Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists	$55,120	$41,860	120
81	Emergency Management Directors	$54,720	$46,140	60
82	Postal Service Clerks	$54,480	$39,770	130
83	Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	$54,000	$36,980	150
84	Public Relations Specialists	$53,970	$44,720	40
85	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	$53,340	$36,810	90
86	Foresters	$52,220	$38,490	40
87	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$52,000	$38,000	80
88	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$51,910	$35,190	70
89	Computer Network Support Specialists	$51,220	$35,670	70
90	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$50,900	$41,240	40
91	Human Resources Specialists	$50,410	$40,980	140
92	Lodging Managers	$50,130	$43,880	80
93	Sales and Related Workers, All Other	$49,960	$33,090	40
94	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	$49,910	$37,830	170
95	Automotive Body and Related Repairers	$49,890	$38,610	90
96	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$49,860	$39,640	120
97	Property Appraisers and Assessors	$49,820	$37,520	110
98	Surgical Technologists	$49,680	$34,070	40
99	Training and Development Specialists	$49,600	$35,720	40
100	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	$49,560	$37,680	80

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$195,380
2	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,030
3	Personal Financial Advisors	$126,780
4	Physician Assistants	$126,730
5	Pharmacists	$121,230
6	Nurse Practitioners	$121,010
7	General Dentists	$100,110
8	General and Operations Managers	$99,940
9	Financial Managers	$99,510
10	Medical and Health Services Managers	$98,500

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Pharmacists	$116,910
2	Physician Assistants	$115,270
3	Nurse Practitioners	$106,920
4	General and Operations Managers	$100,590
5	Power Distributors and Dispatchers	$99,690
6	Financial Managers	$97,410
7	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$97,310
8	Optometrists	$93,500
9	Medical and Health Services Managers	$89,510
10	Veterinarians	$84,630

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$206,430
2	Chief Executives	$196,750
3	Pharmacists	$116,020
4	Physician Assistants	$115,150
5	Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	$106,580
6	Nurse Practitioners	$103,280
7	Power Distributors and Dispatchers	$100,760
8	General and Operations Managers	$99,770
9	Financial Managers	$97,270
10	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$96,880

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

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