Registered Nurse Salary in South Dakota (BLS May 2025)
Registered nurses in South Dakota earned a median of $78,060 a year ($37.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is 20% below the national RN median of $97,550, and it ranks 49th of the 50 states and D.C.
Median salary
$78,060
Median hourly
$37.53
Average (mean)
$77,140
RNs employed
14,710
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), retrieved 2026-10-22. Staff (wage-and-salary) jobs in all settings; excludes travel-contract stipends.
RN pay range in South Dakota
Half of South Dakota's registered nurses earned between $65,070 and $84,280. The spread from the 10th to the 90th percentile is $44,180, which reflects experience, setting (hospital, clinic, home health) and region within the state.
| Percentile | South Dakota annual | Hourly equivalent | U.S. annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,040 | $25.98 | $68,940 |
| 25th percentile | $65,070 | $31.28 | $80,330 |
| Median (50th) | $78,060 | $37.53 | $97,550 |
| 75th percentile | $84,280 | $40.52 | $112,350 |
| 90th percentile | $98,220 | $47.22 | $137,470 |
Hourly equivalent = annual ÷ 2,080 hours, the convention BLS uses to annualize hourly wages. BLS publishes the median hourly wage directly ($37.53); small differences are rounding.
What a median RN paycheck looks like in South Dakota
Gross pay at the South Dakota median, and the federal taxes on it for a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction. Retirement, insurance and other payroll deductions vary by employer and are not included.
| Yearly | Monthly | Every 2 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay (median) | $78,060 | $6,505 | $3,002 |
| Federal income tax | $8,343 | $695 | $321 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,972 | $498 | $230 |
| South Dakota income tax | $0 — no state tax on wages | ||
| Take-home | $63,745 | $5,312 | $2,452 |
Taxes: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets and standard deduction, SSA 2026 wage base. See methodology. Run your own numbers in the tax calculator.
South Dakota vs neighboring states
Nurses near a state line often compare commuting or moving across it. Median RN pay in the states that border South Dakota:
| State | Median salary | Median hourly | vs South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $78,060 | $37.53 | — |
| Minnesota | $101,510 | $48.80 | +$23,450 |
| Montana | $85,280 | $41.00 | +$7,220 |
| Nebraska | $84,730 | $40.74 | +$6,670 |
| Wyoming | $83,760 | $40.27 | +$5,700 |
| North Dakota | $80,730 | $38.81 | +$2,670 |
| Iowa | $78,630 | $37.80 | +$570 |
A nurse licensed in a Nurse Licensure Compact state can work in other compact states without a new license — check the compact license lookup.
Staff RN vs travel nurse pay in South Dakota
Staff RN, median (BLS)
$1,501/week
$78,060 ÷ 52, all taxable, with employer benefits.
Travel nurse, taxable (our estimate)
$1,440/week
$40/hr × 36 hours, plus tax-free stipends of up to $1,267–$1,729/week (GSA lodging + M&IE) with a qualifying tax home.
The stipend ceiling is the most an agency can pay tax-free, not what a typical offer pays, and it only applies when you keep a tax home elsewhere. Travel contracts also come with gaps between assignments, duplicated housing costs and thinner benefits, so the honest comparison is an actual offer against your actual staff pay.
The travel nurse pay figure in this section are our own editorial estimates, reviewed July 31, 2026 — not survey or government wage data. How we produce these numbers.
Travel nurse pay in South Dakota · South Dakota take-home calculator · Staff vs travel break-even calculator · South Dakota per diem rates
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in South Dakota?
Registered nurses in South Dakota earned a median of $78,060 a year ($37.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average (mean) was $77,140 ($37.09 an hour). That median is 20% below the national RN median of $97,550 and ranks 49th of the 50 states and D.C.
What do the highest-paid nurses in South Dakota make?
The top 10% of registered nurses in South Dakota earned at least $98,220 a year, and the top quarter at least $84,280. The bottom 10% earned less than $54,040. These are BLS percentile estimates for staff RNs across all settings, not offers for a specific job.
What is a registered nurse's paycheck in South Dakota?
At the South Dakota median of $78,060, gross pay is about $6,505 a month or $3,002 every two weeks. For a single filer with the standard deduction, 2026 federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare come to about $14,315 a year. South Dakota has no state income tax on wages, so take-home is about $63,745 a year ($2,452 every two weeks), before retirement or insurance deductions.
How many registered nurses work in South Dakota?
BLS estimated 14,710 registered nurses employed in South Dakota in May 2025, the 42nd largest RN workforce of the 50 states and D.C.
Do travel nurses make more than staff nurses in South Dakota?
Usually in gross terms. The staff RN median in South Dakota works out to about $1,501 a week (BLS). Our editorial estimate for travel nurse taxable pay in South Dakota is about $1,440 a week at 36 hours, and a traveler with a qualifying tax home can also receive tax-free stipends up to $1,267–$1,729 a week depending on the GSA locality. Travel contracts carry costs staff jobs do not (two households, gaps between contracts, fewer benefits), so compare real offers with the calculator.
About this data
These figures are the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimates for May 2025, the latest published. OEWS surveys employers, so it measures staff (wage-and-salary) registered nurses in all settings — hospitals, clinics, home health, schools — and excludes self-employed nurses and travel-contract stipends. Means are pulled up by high earners, which is why we lead with the median.
See registered nurse salary in every state for the full ranking.