Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| South Dakota | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $88,380 | $107,639 | -18% |
| Median hourly wage | $42.49 | $51.75 | -18% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $99,752.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Mechanical Engineer in South Dakota is $88,380, or about $42.49 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Mechanical Engineers is $107,639. South Dakota is -18% below the national median.
Entry-level mechanical engineers in South Dakota typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 560 mechanical engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $88,380, South Dakota offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, mechanical engineers rank 78 of the 563 occupations reported in South Dakota — higher than 86% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Engineers, All Other at $112,260, Architects, Except Landscape and Naval at $102,500, Computer Hardware Engineers at $101,400 — all figures are median annual wages for South Dakota.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. South Dakota has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 93.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, mechanical engineers rank 78 of the 563 occupations reported in South Dakota — higher than 86% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in South Dakota | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Engineers, All Other | $112,260 | $110 |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | $102,500 | $180 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $101,400 | $160 |
| Electrical Engineers | $98,980 | $530 |
| Environmental Engineers | $98,890 | $90 |
| Civil Engineers | $98,700 | $1,440 |
South Dakota has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 93.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 563 occupations in South Dakota.