SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-1051 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary — South Dakota

South Dakota

$63,160 /year
70jobs in area
−38.8%vs US median

Median pay in South Dakota is $63,160 a year, 38.8% under the national median of $103,170 for this occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $103,170MEDIAN$63,16075TH$85,77090TH$116,740

How pay has moved

$82,415$57,365201920242025$63,160
$78,240 in 2019 to $63,160 in 2025, -19.3% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.6%
Openings per year
1,000
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for South Dakota.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay in South Dakota is $63,160 a year, 38.8% under the national median of $103,170 for this occupation. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $62,050 and $85,770. The lowest tenth earn under $59,480, while the highest tenth earn more than $116,740.

The area has 70 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.2 of every thousand jobs. South Dakota ranks number 40th out of 40 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 563 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 199th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · South Dakota · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$59,480−42.3%
25th$62,050−39.9%
Median (50th)$63,160−38.8%
75th$85,770−16.9%
90th$116,740+13.2%
Mean$75,990−26.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in South Dakota run 11.4% below the national average, so the median of $63,160 goes as far as $71,287 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 30.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$63,160as reported by BLS

Local price level

88.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$71,287US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $63,160 a year, 38.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $59,480 to $116,740 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 70 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 40th of 40 states for this occupation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary in South Dakota?

The median annual wage is $63,160, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $103,170, so pay in South Dakota is 38.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in South Dakota earns more than $116,740 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $59,480 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 70 jobs in this occupation in South Dakota. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary Salary in South Dakota (2025): $63,160 Median | Salary Explorer