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Labor Market Information Center

Hot Careers Data


South Dakota Hot Careers
High Demand, High Wage Occupations
SOC* Code SOC* Title Average
Annual
Openings		 2022
Employment		 2032
Employment		 Numeric
Change
2022 to
2032		 Percent
Change
2022 to
2032		 Average
Annual
Wage
2023		 Level of Education Recommended
in South Dakota
13-2011 Accountants and Auditors  Top 30 career designation             560               6,179              6,831        652 10.6% $ 77,840 Bachelor's degree
45-2091 Agricultural Equipment Operators  Top 30 career designation              238                1,404                 1,579        175 12.5% $45,300 Less than high school
49-3023 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics  Top 30 career designation               234                 2,338                  2,596        258 11.0% $50,810 Some postsecondary education
49-3031 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists               113                 1,188                  1,302        114 9.6% $59,570 Some postsecondary education
13-1199 Business Operations Specialists, All Other               135                 1,493                  1,546           53 3.6% $86,430 Some postsecondary education
13-1020 Buyers and Purchasing Agents                 99                 1,101                  1,102            1 0.1% $74,870 Bachelor's degree
47-2031 Carpenters  Top 30 career designation               595                 6,116                  6,784        668 10.9% $44,550 High school dliploma or equivalent
21-1021 Child, Family, and School Social Workers               148                 1,771                  1,869           98 5.5% $49,770 Bachelor's degree
17-2051 Civil Engineers               101                 1,435                  1,565        130 9.1% $90,870 Bachelor's degree
21-2011 Clergy  Top 30 career designation               183                 2,026                  2,155        129 6.4% $51,840 Bachelor's degree
29-2010 Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians               101                 1,289                  1,441        152 11.8% $56,340 Bachelor's degree
27-2022 Coaches and Scouts  Top 30 career designation               198                 1,387                  1,546        159 11.5% $44,250 Bachelor's degree
51-9124 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders               154                 1,505                  1,643        138 9.2% $46,650 High school diploma or equivalent
13-1041 Compliance Officers                 88                 1,063                  1,113           50 4.7% $71,510 Bachelor's degree
15-1232 Computer User Support Specialists               114                 1,620                  1,682           62 3.8% $47,440 Some postsecondary education
33-3012 Correctional Officers and Jailers               126                 1,410                  1,443           33 2.3% $50,500 High school diploma or equivalent
31-9091 Dental Assistants               164                 1,035                  1,168        133 12.9% $47,620 Some postsecondary education
47-2111 Electricians  Top 30 career designation               279                 2,523                  2,935        412 16.3% $56,790 Some postsecondary education
25-2021 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education  Top 30 career designation               333                 4,495                  4,758        263 5.9% $50,290 Bachelor's degree
49-3041 Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians               143                 1,281                  1,549        268 20.9% $62,150 Some postsecondary education
11-9013 Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers  Top 30 career designation           2,415              21,349                22,751     1,402 6.5% $99,990 High school diploma or equivalent
47-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers  Top 30 career designation               228                 2,437                  2,697        260 10.7% $72,030 High school diploma or equivalent
37-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers               103                    792                     870           78 9.9% $44,890 High school diploma or equivalent
49-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers               122                 1,304                  1,417        113 8.7% $77,630 Some postsecondary education
41-1012 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers               102                 1,111                  1,203           92 8.3% $112,080 High school diploma or equivalent
51-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers  Top 30 career designation               187                 1,769                  1,927        158 8.9% $69,460 Some postsecondary education
41-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers  Top 30 career designation               479                 4,365                  4,707        342 7.8% $59,110 High school diploma or equivalent
53-1047 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation & Material Moving Workers, except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisor               163                 1,419                  1,566        147 10.4% $65,280 High school diploma or equivalent
11-9051 Food Service Managers  Top 30 career designation               224                 1,746                  1,951        205 11.7% $59,050 High school diploma or equivalent
11-1021 General and Operations Managers  Top 30 career designation               386                 4,192                  4,598        406 9.7% $144,880 Associate degree
49-9021 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers               124                 1,168                  1,360        192 16.4% $57,650 Some postsecondary education
53-3032 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers  Top 30 career designation               897                 7,560                  8,298        738 9.8% $56,710 Some postsecondary education
47-4051 Highway Maintenance Workers  Top 30 career designation               199                 2,130                  2,192           62 2.9% $45,600 High school diploma or equivalent
13-1071 Human Resources Specialists               138                 1,461                  1,592        131 9.0% $65,480 Bachelor's degree
49-9041 Industrial Machinery Mechanics               143                 1,250                  1,590        340 27.2% $58,000 Some postsecondary education
53-7051 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators  Top 30 career designation               188                 1,676                  1,854        178 10.6% $44,770 High school diploma or equivalent
51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers               119                    990                  1,034           44 4.4% $44,840 High school diploma or equivalent
41-3021 Insurance Sales Agents  Top 30 career designation               259                 2,736                  3,042        306 11.2% $75,660 Some postsecondary education
29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses  Top 30 career designation               186                 2,150                  2,319        169 7.9% $49,580 Some postsecondary education
53-3033 Light Truck Drivers  Top 30 career designation               465                 3,744                  4,246        502 13.4% $43,830 High school diploma or equivalent
13-2072 Loan Officers               152                 1,985                  2,123        138 7.0% $80,930 Associate degree
51-4041 Machinists                 91                    817                      899           82 10.0% $48,400 High school diploma or equivalent
49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General  Top 30 career designation               344                 3,348                  3,644        296 8.8% $45,240 High school diploma or equivalent
13-1111 Management Analysts  Top 30 career designation               323                 3,272                  3,702        430 13.1% $87,200 Bachelor's degree
13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists               170                 1,419                  1,724        305 21.5% $68,990 Bachelor's degree
11-9111 Medical and Health Services Managers               106                 1,004                  1,278        274 27.3% $131,910 Bachelor's degree
29-2072 Medical Records Specialists                 97                 1,150                  1,312        162 14.1% $52,420 Some postsecondary education
25-2022 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education               160                 2,153                  2,280        127 5.9% $51,570 Bachelor's degree
15-1244 Network and Computer Systems Administrators               121                 1,966                  2,063           97 4.9% $71,980 Bachelor's degree
29-1171 Nurse Practitioners                 92                    821                  1,284        463 56.4% $120,980 Master's degree
47-2073 Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators  Top 30 career designation               195                 1,979                  2,188        209 10.6% $54,240 High school diploma or equivalent
47-2141 Painters, Construction and Maintenance                 96                 1,050                  1,156        106 10.1% $45,270 High school diploma or equivalent
41-2022 Parts Salespersons  Top 30 career designation               247                 1,850                  2,051        201 10.9% $44,700 High school diploma or equivalent
37-3012 Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation               110                    756                      847           91 12.0% $44,450 High school diploma or equivalent
47-2152 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters  Top 30 career designation               193                 1,882                  2,114        232 12.3% $54,740 Some postsecondary education
33-3051 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers               158                 1,971                  2,032           61 3.1% $58,900 Some postsecondary education
11-9141 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers               148                 1,657                  1,814        157 9.5% $51,620 High school diploma or equivalent
29-1141 Registered Nurses  Top 30 career designation           1,028              14,586                16,506     1,920 13.% $69,030 Bachelor's degree
41-4012 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, except Technical and Scientific Products  Top 30 career designation               573                 5,535                  6,130        595 10.8% $78,120 High school diploma or equivalent
41-4011 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products  Top 30 career designation               189                 1,794                  2,018        224 12.5% $127,110 Bachelor's degree
25-2031 Secondary School Teachers, except Special and Career/Technical Education  Top 30 career designation               243                 3,501                  3,716        215 6.1% $51,650 Bachelor's degree
15-1252 Software Developers               167                 1,920                  2,435        515 26.8% $94,500 Bachelor's degree
47-2221 Structural Iron and Steel Workers                 90                    891                      993        102 11.5% $52,210 High school diploma or equivalent
21-1018 Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors               178                 1,726                  1,979        253 14.7%  $50,960 Bachelor's degree
51-8031 Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators                 86                    886                      915           29 3.3% $54,180 High school diploma or equivalent
51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers  Top 30 career designation               387                 3,412                  3,802        390 11.4% $46,700 Some postsecondary education

Notes:

A hot air balloon icon like this Top 30 career designation following the occupational title indicates the occupation is a Top 30 career, ranked in the top 30 occupations with the greatest projected demand to 2032.

Learn how the Hot Careers and Top 30 occupations are identified.

*SOC - Standard Occupational Classification (See SOC occupational descriptions on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website. The SOC taxonomy is revised as needed over time to appropriately reflect changes in occupational duties and expectations. The version of the taxonomy used for each particular data set shown above varies along with the timeframe used for that data set. Additionally, sometimes the taxonomy is adapted for a particular program or data set. Occupational classification for a particular program is often a work in progress, with codes for some occupations modified multiple times before a final, static code is determined. During such transitions, an occupation may have more than one code associated with it. For these reasons, we have included in the table above all codes associated (across the various data sets displayed) with the occupations listed. When using other resources for occupational data, if you do not find the occupation by the SOC code listed, please contact us for assistance.

For more information on average annual openings and other employment projections data used in the table above (2022 workers, 2033 workers, percent change 2022-2033), see our Employment Projections Technical Notes page.

For more information on average annual wages, please see our Occupational Wages Technical Notes page.

Employment projections data for additional occupations is available; please see our Occupational Projections menu.

Wage data is also available for additional occupations; please see our Occupational Wages menu.

Source: Labor Market Information Center, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, July 2024.

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