The average annual salaries for lawyers in the state of South Dakota are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of lawyers among South Dakota metropolitan areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $59,140 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $70,360 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $85,980 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $113,790 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $198,580 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for lawyers in South Dakota in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $198,580. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $85,980. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $59,140.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of lawyers from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $85,980 | 5.51% | 9.43% |
| 2021 | $81,240 | -15.65% | - |
| 2020 | $93,950 | 8.15% | - |
| 2019 | $86,290 | 4.32% | - |
| 2018 | $82,560 | 6.89% | - |
| 2017 | $76,870 | -1.85% | - |
| 2016 | $78,290 | -1.83% | - |
| 2015 | $79,720 | -6.69% | - |
| 2014 | $85,050 | 2.20% | - |
| 2013 | $83,180 | 6.38% | - |
| 2012 | $77,870 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of lawyers in some South Dakota cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of lawyers in state of South Dakota ranges from $73,310 to $106,950. The highest paying area for lawyers in South Dakota is Sioux City with a median annual salary of $106,950. The second highest paying city/area in South Dakota State is Sioux Falls (mean annual salary $97,880). The lowest paying area is Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $73,310.
| Cities/Areas | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Sioux City | |
| Sioux Falls | |
| Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | |
| Rapid City | |
| Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | |
| Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area |