Psychologist Salary in South Dakota
The psychologist salary in South Dakota is $80,130 at the median for clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033), BLS’s May 2025 figure and 80 percent of the U.S. median of $100,580. BLS publishes school psychologist pay for East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group
Psychologist Salary in South Dakota at a Glance
- $80,130 is the median. South Dakota ranks thirty-ninth of 47 states and the District of Columbia, counting from the highest, and the median is 80 percent of the U.S. figure.
- The middle half earned $64,340 to $111,940. The 10th percentile wage of $63,630 ranks twelfth of 48 jurisdictions, and the 90th percentile wage was $123,210.
- About 120 are employed. BLS counted that many clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota, 0.25 for every 1,000 jobs, which ranks forty-first of 48 jurisdictions by concentration. The count carries a relative standard error of 23.4 percent.
- School psychologists earned $78,370. That is 98 percent of the $80,130 median for clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota, and the school psychologist median ranks thirty-third of 51 jurisdictions.
- Rapid City, SD is the one metropolitan area. Its median is $63,720.
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$80,130
Median annual wage, clinical and counseling psychologists, May 2025
BLS OEWS, May 2025 -
120
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists employed in South Dakota
BLS OEWS, May 2025 -
$78,370
Median annual wage, school psychologists, May 2025
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Pay Percentiles in South Dakota
$80,130
Median annual wage for clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 10th percentile
- $63,630
- 25th percentile
- $64,340
- 75th percentile
- $111,940
- 90th percentile
- $123,210
Occupation: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, SOC 19-3033.South Dakota employment: about 120.
The psychologist salary in South Dakota is a range, not one number. Half of the clinical and counseling psychologists BLS counted in South Dakota earned more than $80,130 a year in May 2025 and half earned less. Percentiles mark places in the pay distribution; they are not experience levels. Set beside the U.S. figures for the same occupation, the 10th percentile wage in South Dakota is 115 percent of the national $55,170, the median 80 percent of $100,580, and the 90th percentile 68 percent of $180,960.
Within the psychologist salary in South Dakota, the band between the 25th and 75th percentile spans $47,600, 77 percent of the $61,990 national band. The mean annual wage of $88,560 is 111 percent of the median, and the hourly median is $38.52. The 25th percentile wage ranks thirty-fifth of 48 jurisdictions, the 75th percentile wage thirty-fourth and the mean annual wage forty-third.
Metro Area Median in South Dakota
BLS publishes one metropolitan area for clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033) in South Dakota: Rapid City, SD, with a median annual wage of $63,720 in May 2025, 80 percent of the statewide median and about 30 employed.
School Psychologist Pay in South Dakota
$78,370
Median annual wage for school psychologists in South Dakota, May 2025
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 10th percentile
- $65,930
- 25th percentile
- $68,640
- 75th percentile
- $89,510
- 90th percentile
- $127,310
Occupation: School Psychologists, SOC 19-3034.South Dakota employment: about 110.
School psychologists (SOC 19-3034) in South Dakota earned a median annual wage of $78,370 in May 2025, 82 percent of the U.S. median of $95,990. That median ranks thirty-third of 51 jurisdictions. It is 98 percent of the $80,130 median for clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota.
BLS counted about 110 school psychologists and about 120 clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota, 0.9 school psychologists for every one of the others.
The school psychologist 10th percentile wage ranks twentieth of 51 jurisdictions and the 90th percentile wage sixteenth, and the occupation ranks forty-second by concentration, 0.23 for every 1,000 jobs.
BLS publishes one area for school psychologists in South Dakota: East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area, with a median annual wage of $74,860 and about 40 employed.
BLS also publishes psychologists, all other (SOC 19-3039) for South Dakota: a median annual wage of $132,170 in May 2025, with about 30 employed, 165 percent of the $80,130 median for clinical and counseling psychologists there. The group holds the psychologists BLS does not list separately, so it is not a wage for any one specialty.
Questions About Psychologist Salary in South Dakota
What Is the Average Pay for Psychologists in South Dakota?
The psychologist salary in South Dakota has two averages in BLS’s May 2025 data for clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033): a median annual wage of $80,130 and a mean annual wage of $88,560, or $38.52 an hour at the median. The median ranks thirty-ninth of 48 jurisdictions. The BLS OEWS profile carries both.
How Does Psychologist Pay in South Dakota Compare With the U.S.?
At the median, South Dakota pays clinical and counseling psychologists 80 percent of the U.S. median of $100,580. At the 90th percentile it pays 68 percent of the national $180,960. School psychologists earned $78,370, 82 percent of the U.S. median of $95,990.
What Do School Psychologists Earn in South Dakota?
BLS’s May 2025 median annual wage for school psychologists (SOC 19-3034) in South Dakota was $78,370, with the 25th to 75th percentile wages running from $68,640 to $89,510. The one area BLS publishes is East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area, at $74,860. The national school psychologist figures used to compare South Dakota are on their own page.
How Many Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Work in South Dakota?
BLS counted about 120 in May 2025, or 0.25 for every 1,000 jobs in South Dakota, a location quotient of 0.52 against the national 1.00.
Do the Wage Figures for South Dakota Include the Self-Employed?
No. OEWS counts wage and salary jobs, so the May 2025 figures for South Dakota leave out psychologists in private practice who work for themselves. BLS writes that the survey does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family workers.
Sources for South Dakota Wage Figures
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- BLS OEWS profile, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (19-3033), national, state and metropolitan estimates, May 2025, read October 12, 2026.
- BLS OEWS profile, School Psychologists (19-3034), May 2025, read October 12, 2026.
- BLS OEWS profile, Psychologists, All Other (19-3039), May 2025, read October 12, 2026.
- BLS OEWS technical notes, BLS writes that the survey does not include the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family workers; read October 12, 2026.