Chefs and Head Cooks in South Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,126
after federal, FICA and South Dakota tax
Tax takes
$7,344
15.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,683
South Dakota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in South Dakota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$48,470
Kept after tax
$41,126
Worth in national money
$46,683
State rank
47
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Dakota is among the lower-paying states for chefs and head cooks. The middle earner takes $48,470, ranking 47 of 51 states — about 22.41% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 457 occupations South Dakota reports figures for, this is number 275.
- South Dakota is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $48,470 the take-home is $41,126; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $46,683 would nationally. The average lands at $47,900, below the middle of the range.
- South Dakota ranks 47 of 51 for chefs and head cooks, with a median of $48,470 — about 22.41% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In South Dakota's occupational distribution, chefs and head cooks sits at 275 of 457 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for chefs and head cooks in South Dakota, on $48,470, is $41,126 — equivalent to $46,683 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $47,900 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Chefs and Head Cooks
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,450 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,820 |
| This salary | $48,470 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in South Dakota | $41,126 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,126 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,362 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $48,470 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,275 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of chefs and head cooks in South Dakota earn under $48,470 and half over. The published range runs $37,450 at the tenth percentile to $57,820 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Dakota's $41,126, worked from $48,470. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 275 of 457.
- One number stands for prices across all of South Dakota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $46,683, the adjusted value of that $48,470 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 275 of 457 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for chefs and head cooks in South Dakota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $37,450 to $57,820; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The South Dakota take-home of $41,126, on $48,470 for work ranking 275 of 457 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 275 of 457 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Dakota, so $46,683 — the adjusted value of that $48,470 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 275 of 457 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $37,450 and the top tenth $57,820, so most people doing this work in South Dakota sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. South Dakota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $46,683 in national terms.
Is most of this wage taxed away?
Less than people assume. $41,126 of this wage reaches your account, because South Dakota takes no income tax from wages — but federal tax, Social Security and Medicare still apply exactly as they do everywhere else.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($37,450 to $57,820) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to South Dakota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
South Dakota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $46,683 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
Why is the take-home ratio comparatively high in this state?
South Dakota levies no personal income tax on wages, so take-home of $41,126 reflects the federal layer and FICA alone. Federal income tax and FICA are unchanged; states without a wage income tax generally recover revenue through consumption and property bases instead.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.