The average annual salaries for legislators in the state of South Dakota are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of legislators among South Dakota 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 2019 and published in April 2020 [1].
| Percentile bracket | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $32,490 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $40,560 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $43,940 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $47,320 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $49,390 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for legislators in South Dakota in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $49,390. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $43,940. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $32,490.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of legislators from 2012 to 2015. Note that there is no salary data for some years between 2012 and 2019.
| Year | Median Salary | Growth | 3-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $43,940 | 9.31% | 16.86% |
| 2014 | $39,850 | 5.37% | - |
| 2013 | $37,710 | 3.13% | - |
| 2012 | $36,530 | - | - |
Table 3 shows the median annual salary of legislators in some South Dakota cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of legislators in state of South Dakota ranges from $20,010 to $52,710. The highest paying area for legislators in South Dakota is Rapid City with a median annual salary of $52,710. The second highest paying city/area in South Dakota State is Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $44,190). The lowest paying area is Sioux City with a median annual salary of $20,010.
| Cities/Areas | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Rapid City | |
| Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | |
| Eastern South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | |
| Sioux Falls | |
| Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | |
| Sioux City |