South Dakota RN Salary 2026
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What RNs actually earn in South Dakota
The mean registered nurse salary in South Dakota is $77,140 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That puts South Dakota 24% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and 2nd-lowest in the country.
That mean covers every RN in the state — new graduates and thirty-year charge nurses, day shift and nights, bedside and management. In practice new-graduate wages in South Dakota land around $57,855, and experienced specialty or supervisory nurses reach roughly $107,996. If you are comparing a specific offer, the ladder below is more useful than the all-RN average.
South Dakota pay across the nursing ladder
Six roles, all South Dakota figures, each against its national anchor:
| Role | Mean annual | vs national | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse (all RNs) | $77,140 | 24% below national | 50th |
| ICU / critical care RN | $111,145 | 30% above national | 22nd |
| Emergency department RN | $86,737 | — | 16th |
| Travel nurse (posted base) | $101,132 | level with national | 16th |
| Nurse practitioner | $122,300 | 11% below national | 38th |
| CRNA | $257,168 | 4% above national | 15th |
RN, NP and CRNA figures are BLS May 2025 OEWS unless the state note says otherwise. ICU, ER and travel figures are 2026 aggregator data (ZipRecruiter, Vivian, TheCRNA) — those specialties have no separate federal SOC code, so no BLS series exists for them.
What that salary is actually worth
South Dakota's regional price parity is 89.4 against a national average of 100, so goods and services here cost 10.6% less than the national norm. Run the $77,140 mean through that and it carries the purchasing power of $86,286 anywhere else in the country.
South Dakota ranks 50th on nominal pay and 50th once cost of living is taken out, so the headline number is roughly honest here — what you are offered is close to what it is worth.
What is driving South Dakota pay right now
Lowest baseline RN median in the US but no state income tax; Sanford Health and Avera anchor a frontier-medicine market with strong APRN demand.
Staffing-ratio law: South Dakota has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so how many patients you carry is set by hospital policy and unit budget rather than by law. That makes the ratio a question to settle in the interview, not after you start — ask what the unit actually runs on nights and weekends, not what the policy says.
Who you are competing with
As a Nurse Licensure Compact state, South Dakota lets any nurse holding a multistate licence work here without applying for a separate one. That widens the pool of candidates for every posting, and it also means travel nurses can start assignments quickly — which keeps contract rates competitive but stops staff wages running away during a shortage. Full detail on requirements and timelines is in the South Dakota licensure guide.
Where the jobs are in South Dakota
The largest RN employment markets in South Dakota are Sioux Falls, Rapid City. Metro wages generally run 5-15% above the state mean, and rural postings 5-10% below — though rural and critical-access hospitals often close part of that gap with sign-on bonuses and loan repayment, because they compete for a much smaller pool of applicants. ANCC Magnet-designated hospitals typically pay 8-12% more than non-Magnet facilities for the same role.
Tax and take-home in South Dakota
South Dakota state income tax: none. With no state income tax, a given gross goes further here than the same gross in a high-tax state — worth several thousand dollars a year at RN salaries, and one reason this state stays competitive for travellers. Federal brackets and FICA (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) apply the same everywhere. The pay calculator models federal and South Dakota state tax together, and the cost-of-living calculator compares two states on take-home rather than headline pay.
Differentials and premium pay
Base rate is rarely the whole story. Most South Dakota hospitals pay a night differential of roughly $2-7/hr, weekends $1-3/hr, holidays at $1-3/hr or time-and-a-half, and charge-nurse pay of $2-5/hr on top. A nurse working a permanent night rotation with every third weekend can add several thousand a year over the base figures above. The shift differential calculator works out what a given rotation is actually worth.
Common questions
What is the average RN salary in South Dakota?
The mean registered nurse salary in South Dakota is $77,140 per year, per the BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. That is 24% below the national RN mean of $101,420, and ranks 2nd-lowest in the country.
Is $77,140 a good RN salary in South Dakota?
Adjusted for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA regional price parity 89.4, where 100 is the national average), $77,140 has the purchasing power of about $86,286 nationally — 50th among the 51 states and DC. Compare offers on the adjusted figure, not the headline one.
Which South Dakota nursing roles pay the most?
CRNAs lead at $257,168, followed by nurse practitioners at $122,300. Within bedside nursing, ICU and critical care ($111,145) typically pays above the all-RN mean.
Related South Dakota guides
See nursing licensure in South Dakota for Board of Nursing requirements and compact status, and travel nursing in South Dakota for contract rates and stipend detail. National context: pay and data, highest-paying RN specialties.