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Labor Market Information Center

Hot Careers for which Some Postsecondary Education is Recommended

Click on the Occupational Ttile to learn more about the occupation in the virtual labor market 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	2022 Employment	2032 Employment	Numeric Change 2022 to 2032	Percent Change 2022 to 2032	Average Annual Wage 2023	View Current Job Openings
49-3023	Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	234	2,338	2,596	258	11.0%	$50,810
49-3031	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	113	1,188	1,302	114	9.6%	$59,570
13-1199	Business Operations Specialists, All Other	135	1,493	1,546	53	3.6%	$86,430
15-1232	Computer User Support Specialists	114	1,620	1,682	62	3.8%	$47,440
31-9091	Dental Assistants	164	1,035	1,168	133	12.9%	$47,620
47-2111	Electricians	279	2,523	2,935	412	16.3%	$56,790
49-3041	Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	143	1,281	1,549	268	20.9%	$62,150
49-1011	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers and Repairers	122	1,304	1,417	113	8.7%	$77,630
51-1011	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	187	1,769	1,927	158	8.9%	$69,460
49-9021	Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	124	1,168	1,360	192	16.4%	$57,650
53-3032	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	897	7,560	8,298	738	9.8%	$56,710
49-9041	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	143	1,250	1,590	340	27.2%	$58,000
41-3021	Insurance Sales Agents	259	2,736	3,042	306	11.2%	$75,660
29-2061	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	186	2,150	2,319	169	7.9%	$49,580
29-2072	Medical Records Specialists	97	1,150	1,312	162	14.1%	$52,420
47-2152	Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters	193	1,882	2,114	232	12.3%	$54,740
33-3051	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	158	1,971	2,032	61	3.1%	$58,900
51-4121	Welders, Cutters, Solderers and Brazers	387	3,412	3,802	390	11.4%	$46,700
Notes: Learn more about how the level of education recommended was determined. A hot air balloon icon 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 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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