Counter and Rental Clerks in South Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,427
after federal, FICA and South Dakota tax
Tax takes
$4,973
13.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,674
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
$36,400
Kept after tax
$31,427
Worth in national money
$35,674
State rank
45
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Dakota is among the lower-paying states for counter and rental clerks. The middle earner takes $36,400, ranking 45 of 51 states — about 11.86% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in South Dakota, this one sits low: 409 of 457 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- South Dakota is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $36,400 the take-home is $31,427; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $35,674 would nationally. The average comes to $36,870, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- South Dakota ranks 45 of 51 for counter and rental clerks, with a median of $36,400 — about 11.86% 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.
- Counter and rental clerks occupies position 409 of 457 in South Dakota's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Post-tax income for counter and rental clerks in South Dakota, on $36,400, is $31,427 — equivalent to $35,674 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 $36,870 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Counter and Rental Clerks
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $26,190 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,400 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,850 |
| This salary | $36,400 |
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 | $31,427 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,427 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,333 |
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 | $36,400 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,031 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $36,400 as a midpoint for South Dakota, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $26,190 and the ninetieth is $48,850 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In South Dakota the take-home figure of $31,427, from $36,400, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 409 of 457 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $35,674 uses one figure for the whole of South Dakota. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 457 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 409.
- The South Dakota median of $36,400 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $26,190 to $48,850. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for South Dakota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $31,427 from $36,400. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 409 of 457 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $35,674, worked from $36,400, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular South Dakota address, on work sitting at 409 of 457 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $26,190 at the bottom tenth to $48,850 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $35,674 in national terms.
Is most of this wage taxed away?
Most of it arrives. $31,427 lands after tax, since there is no state income tax on wages here — though the federal floor is identical in every state.
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 ($26,190 to $48,850) 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 $35,674 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 $31,427 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.