Paramedics in South Dakota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,415
after federal, FICA and South Dakota tax
Tax takes
$7,415
15.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$47,012
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
$48,830
Kept after tax
$41,415
Worth in national money
$47,012
State rank
48
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for paramedics is on the low side in South Dakota. The middle earner gets $48,830. That is 48 of 51 states, and about 19.42% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Paramedics ranks 271 among 457 occupations South Dakota publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $48,830 you keep $41,415 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $47,012 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $48,290.
- For paramedics, South Dakota sits in the lower band at $48,830, ranking 48 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 19.42%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Position 271 of 457 in South Dakota places paramedics in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay in South Dakota is $41,415 after the full tax stack, from $48,830. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $47,012 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $48,290 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Paramedics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,950 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,830 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,380 |
| This salary | $48,830 |
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 | $41,415 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,415 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,393 |
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 | $48,830 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,313 |
| 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 $48,830. The published range is $30,950 up to $58,380, 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 $41,415, worked from $48,830. 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 271 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 $47,012, the adjusted value of that $48,830 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 271 of 457 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for paramedics in South Dakota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $30,950 to $58,380. 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 $41,415, on $48,830 for work ranking 271 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 271 of 457 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for South Dakota, so $47,012 — the adjusted value of that $48,830 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 271 of 457 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $30,950 at the bottom tenth to $58,380 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 $47,012 in national terms.
Is most of this wage taxed away?
No. $41,415 survives, because South Dakota levies no wage income tax. The federal share does not change with the state you work in.
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 ($30,950 to $58,380) 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 $47,012 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 $41,415 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.