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BLS May 2025

Mechanic Salary in South Dakota

A technician working on the engine bay of a truck in a shop.

Mechanic pay in South Dakota ranks 24th nationally, a middle-of-the-table showing. For automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023), the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 median is $51,160 a year, $540 above the national median of $50,620, and 2,010 wage and salary jobs sit behind it. Pay runs from $38,670 at the 10th percentile to $80,500 at the 90th, across 0.3 percent of U.S. technician jobs.

Portrait of Trevor Rupe

By , Contributor at Savo Media Group Updated

At a Glance

  • 24th of 50 states on median pay for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023), $51,160 against $50,620 nationally.
  • $66,730 for heavy equipment mechanics, 30 percent over automotive technicians.
  • $38,670 to $80,500 from the 10th to the 90th percentile, 43rd widest of 50.

Only $41,830 Separates Low and High Mechanic Salary in South Dakota

$38,670 at the 10th percentile is $4,010 ahead of the national figure, while the ceiling of $80,500 sits near national pay. A $41,830 gap from the 10th percentile to the 90th is $5,300 narrower than the national one. South Dakota ranks 6th of 50 states at the 10th percentile.

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), annual wages in South Dakota and the United States
Measure South Dakota United States Difference
10th percentile $38,670 $34,660 +$4,010
25th percentile $44,790 $38,900 +$5,890
Median (50th percentile) $51,160 $50,620 +$540
75th percentile $61,610 $70,430 -$8,820
90th percentile $80,500 $81,790 -$1,290
Mean $55,660 $56,420 -$760
Wage and salary jobs 2,010 704,640

Half of South Dakota mechanics fall between $44,790 and $61,610 (+$5,890 on the nation at the 25th percentile, -$8,820 at the 75th).

The $55,660 mean climbs $4,500 over the median on the strength of top earnings.

The 10th percentile figure of $38,670 says where the bottom tenth ends, not what a beginner is paid.

Heavy Equipment Mechanics Lead Trade Pay by $15,570 in South Dakota

The trade a mechanic chooses moves pay by 30 percent: heavy equipment mechanics at $66,730 versus $51,160 for automotive technicians, with diesel mechanics next at $58,120.

Median annual wage by trade, with the best-paying metro for each
Trade South Dakota median U.S. median Rank of 50 Jobs Best metro
Heavy Equipment Mechanic $66,730 $65,510 20th 830 Sioux Falls, SD-MN, $66,730
Diesel Mechanic $58,120 $61,770 42nd 1,340 Sioux Falls, SD-MN, $61,700
Auto Mechanic $51,160 $50,620 24th 2,010 Sioux Falls, SD-MN, $59,190
Collision Repair Technician $49,460 $54,890 35th 800 Sioux Falls, SD-MN, $50,310

Diesel mechanics ($58,120, -$3,650) and collision repair technicians ($49,460, -$5,430) earn less than their counterparts nationwide.

Near their national medians: heavy equipment mechanics ($66,730, +$1,220).

Against other states, diesel mechanics rank 42nd of 50 at $58,120, the softest of the trades here.

In Sioux Falls, SD-MN, heavy equipment mechanics hit $66,730, the best metro figure for the trade in South Dakota.

7 Ranked Mechanic Programs in South Dakota

South Dakota has 7 ranked programs at 3 schools: 3 automotive, 2 diesel, 1 collision repair and 1 aviation maintenance. The top scorer is Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, SD at 67.1 out of 100 in diesel.

Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD is the least expensive of 7 priced programs at $6,718 a year; Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City, SD is the most, at $8,294 annually.

Southeast Technical College sits in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, the best-paying area for mechanics at $59,190.

Best Mechanic Schools in South Dakota lists all seven with scores

Mechanic Employment Near the National Rate in South Dakota

4.4 of every 1,000 jobs are technician jobs, near the national rate (location quotient 0.97). On concentration it ranks 33rd of 50 states.

By concentration collision repair technicians lead (1.82, 800 jobs), and auto mechanics the least at 0.97. They are far more common here than nationally.

Mechanic Salary in South Dakota by Area

Sioux Falls, SD-MN leads the state's metropolitan data, $8,030 above the state's $51,160 median; the others are Rapid City, SD at $58,980 and Sioux City, IA-NE-SD at $54,230.

East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area is the biggest of 2 nonmetropolitan areas, 560 jobs; together they hold 46 percent of the state and span $46,780 to $54,440, around the $51,160 state median.

2 of the 3 areas, led by Sioux Falls, SD-MN, extend into MN and carry one figure for the whole area.

Areas priced by BLS, largest by jobs first
Area Median Against South Dakota 10th to 90th percentile Jobs
Sioux Falls, SD-MN $59,190 +$8,030 $40,250 to $80,500 720
Rapid City, SD $58,980 +$7,820 $38,740 to $78,670 360
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD $54,230 +$3,070 $36,980 to $75,420 330
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area $46,780 -$4,380 $36,630 to $74,420 560
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area $54,440 +$3,280 $37,470 to $85,280 370

South Dakota Between Wyoming and Nebraska on Mechanic Pay

Wyoming sits closest, at $51,330, $170 higher; Nebraska lies farther down at $50,560, a gap of $600.

15 states sit inside $2,500 of $51,160, 8 within $1,000. Rank changes fast in this stretch.

Questions About Mechanic Salary in South Dakota

What is the mechanic salary in South Dakota?

$51,160 at the median, or $24.60 an hour, $540 above the nation. Pay runs $38,670 to $80,500 from the 10th to the 90th percentile.

Do heavy equipment mechanics out-earn auto mechanics in South Dakota?

Yes, by $15,570: $66,730 versus $51,160, across 830 jobs.

Which mechanic school in South Dakota ranks highest?

Southeast Technical College (Sioux Falls, SD) leads: at 67.1 out of 100, from 7 ranked programs.

The figures here are the Bureau of Labor Statistics median for wage and salary workers, so the mechanic salary in South Dakota for any one job depends on the employer, the metro area and the trade.

National pay · All states · Methodology

Sources for Mechanic Salary in South Dakota