• Home to LMIC
• Virtual Labor Market Data System
  • Instructions for Using the Virtual System
  • Job Openings Data
• Career Exploration & Planning
  • Career Publications
  • Explore Occupations by Career Cluster
  • Explore Occupations by Interest Area
  • Hot Careers
  • Take the South Dakota Career Interest Survey
• Consumer Price Index
• Demographics
  • Area Profiles
  • Population
• Economic Snapshot
• Employee Benefits
• Employment Projections
  • By Industry
  • By Occupation
  • Hot Careers (High Demand-High Wage)
• Labor Force & Unemployment
• Labor Supply
• Overview of the Current Labor Market
• Surveys We Conduct
• Wages & Income
  • Wages by Occupation
  • Wages by Industry
  • Income
  • Minimum Wage Information
  • Prevailing Wages
• Workers by Industry
  • Nonfarm worker levels
  • Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages
• Tools & Resources
  • South Dakota Career Interest Survey
  • Tapping Into the Power of LMI (recorded webinar)
  • Instructions for Using the Virtual Labor Market Data System
  • Virtual Labor Market Data System
• Publications
  • Annual Labor Market/Workforce Reports
  • Career Publications
  • South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin (current issue)
  • South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin Articles (past)
  • Other LMIC Publications
  • Order Publications
• References
  • Definitions
  • Program Overviews
  • FAQ
  • Related Sites
  • Release Dates
  • Survey Legitimacy
• What's New
• Can't Find It?

Labor Market Information Center

Hot Careers for which Some Postsecondary Education is Recommended

Click on the Occupational Title to learn more about the occupation in the online data system.

Click on the icon to view current job openings in the occupation.

South Dakota Hot Careers High Demand, High Wage Occupations for Which Some Postsecondary Education is Recommended
SOC* Code	Occupational Title	Average Annual Openings	2024 Employment	2034 Employment	Numeric Change 2024 to 2034	Percent Change 2024 to 2034	Average Annual Wage 2025	View Current Job Openings
49-3021	Automotive Body and Related Repairers	80	839	917	78	9.3%	$55,280
49-3023	Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics 😎	244	2,516	2,803	287	11.4%	$55,660
49-3031	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	107	1,173	1,272	99	8.4%	$59,480
13-1199	Business Operations Specialists, All Other	145	1,604	1,651	47	2.9%	$91,300
31-9091	Dental Assistants 😎	188	1,236	1,413	177	14.3%	$50,170
47-2111	Electricians 😎	333	3,092	3,577	485	15.7%	$61,980
49-3041	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	131	1,242	1,469	227	18.3%	$63,550
33-2011	Firefighters	113	1,393	1,461	68	4.9%	$51,180
49-1011	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers and Repairers	156	1,666	1,812	146	8.8%	$82,680
43-1011	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 😎	214	2,179	2,251	72	3.3%	$64,100
51-1011	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 😎	209	1,918	2,094	176	9.2%	$73,610
39-5012	Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	133	989	1,063	74	7.5%	$48,310
49-9021	Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	124	1,207	1,373	166	13.8%	$61,100
53-3032	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 😎	786	6,848	7,507	659	9.6%	$58,550
49-9041	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	152	1,273	1,622	349	27.4%	$62,610
41-3021	Insurance Sales Agents 😎	252	2,758	3,032	274	9.9%	$82,200
29-2061	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 😎	189	2,115	2,255	140	6.6%	$54,990
11-9199	Managers, All Other	119	1,477	1,546	69	4.7%	$122,010
47-2152	Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters 😎	188	1,978	2,175	197	10.0%	$55,530
33-3051	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 😎	211	2,690	2,813	123	4.6%	$64,320
51-4121	Welders, Cutters, Solderers and Brazers 😎	422	3,782	4,164	382	10.1%	$51,980
Notes: Learn more about how the level of education recommended was determined. A smiley face with sunglasses like this 😎 following the occupational title indicates the occupation is a Top 30 career, ranked in the top 30 occupations with the greatest projected demand to 2042. 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 (2024 workers, 2034 workers, percent change 2024-2034), 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 2026.

Back to Hot Careers menu