Driver/Sales Workers in South Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,378
after federal, FICA and South Dakota tax
Tax takes
$6,672
14.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,564
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
$45,050
Kept after tax
$38,378
Worth in national money
$43,564
State rank
6
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- South Dakota is one of the better-paying states for driver/sales workers. The middle earner takes $45,050, which ranks 6 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 16.2% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 457 occupations South Dakota reports figures for, this is number 328.
- Here is where South Dakota does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $45,050 you keep $38,378, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $43,564 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $46,950, because the best-paid pull it up.
- South Dakota ranks 6 of 51 states publishing a median for driver/sales workers, at $45,050 — about 16.2% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- In South Dakota's occupational distribution, driver/sales workers sits at 328 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.
- After federal, FICA and South Dakota income tax, retained pay for driver/sales workers on $45,050 is $38,378. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $43,564 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $46,950 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Driver/Sales Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $28,960 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,050 |
| Top tenth earn over | $64,540 |
| This salary | $45,050 |
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 | $38,378 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,378 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,071 |
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 | $45,050 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,923 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in South Dakota earn less than $45,050. The published range is $28,960 up to $64,540, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind South Dakota's $38,378, worked from $45,050. 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 328 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 $43,564, the adjusted value of that $45,050 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 328 of 457 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for driver/sales workers in South Dakota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $28,960 to $64,540. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The South Dakota take-home of $38,378, on $45,050 for work ranking 328 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 328 of 457 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Dakota, so $43,564 — the adjusted value of that $45,050 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 328 of 457 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $46,950, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $28,960 at the bottom tenth to $64,540 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $43,564 in national terms.
Is most of this wage taxed away?
Most of it arrives. $38,378 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.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in South Dakota is $46,950. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($28,960) and the ninetieth ($64,540) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $43,564 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 $38,378 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.