Physician assistant salary in South Dakota

Before you say yes in South Dakota

South Dakota’s board distinguishes a collaborative agreement from an exemption for a nationally certified PA who files an affidavit attesting to at least 6,000 practice hours. Its instructions describe how that affidavit is requested and returned through the board process. Confirm that the documented exemption or required agreement applies to you; accumulated hours alone are not the same as the filed affidavit.

South Dakota official PA practice or licensing resource

• Use the cited state resource to check your own record, not just the employer’s description of the role.
• Put the proposed scope and practice setting beside the board requirement; have the hiring team resolve any mismatch.
• Get a named owner for unfinished credentialing and orientation steps, and compare the paid schedule with what you would actually cover.

This note retains the state-specific information already cited on this PA page. It does not infer additional practice authority, compact eligibility, approvals or a completion date. The wage comparison and the board process answer different questions.

Where the South Dakota midpoint sits

Using the published PA annual medians, South Dakota takes 32nd place among 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC).

Rank is one plus the number of published state medians higher than this median; tied values share a rank. Missing state estimates are excluded. This orders employee-wage midpoints, not job quality, purchasing power or the pay offered to a particular clinician.

Against the national BLS OEWS May 2025 PA median at $135,880, the South Dakota midpoint is $2,680 below, a 1.97% difference.

Calculation: $133,200 minus $135,880 = -$2,680; divide the absolute dollar difference by $135,880 and multiply by 100 for 1.97%.

The closest positions in the descending state list are shown below; at either end, both comparators are on the same side. These are rank neighbors, not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Against North Dakota (rank 31) at $133,450, the South Dakota midpoint is $250 below, a 0.19% difference.

Calculation: $133,200 minus $133,450 = -$250; divide the absolute dollar difference by $133,450 and multiply by 100 for 0.19%.

Against Nebraska (rank 33) at $133,040, the South Dakota midpoint is $160 above, a 0.12% difference.

Calculation: $133,200 minus $133,040 = $160; divide the absolute dollar difference by $133,040 and multiply by 100 for 0.12%.

Source: the existing national PA guide and the linked state tables reproduce BLS OEWS May 2025 employee-wage estimates. Compare median with median; the national mean already discussed on this page remains a different statistic.

The same state, different clinical roles

South Dakota: nurse practitioner pay — median $128,840 · South Dakota: physician assistant pay — median $133,200 · South Dakota: nurse anesthetist pay — median $263,930

These links hold geography constant while changing the occupation. The PA estimate on this page is not an interchangeable benchmark for another role. The physician link uses “physicians, all other,” a broad BLS category rather than a particular specialty average. Compare each published measure on its own terms; a difference between roles does not explain why employers pay differently.

Across the borders of South Dakota

For work near a South Dakota border, these same-occupation state midpoints provide a second frame of reference.

Among the displayed bordering jurisdictions, Montana has the highest listed median, $141,470; Nebraska has the lowest, $133,040. South Dakota itself records $133,200.

Only bordering jurisdictions with an existing page and a usable median are displayed. Land and river borders count; open-water-only borders and corner-only contacts do not. These statewide estimates do not isolate a border town, commuting distance, local employer or specialty. Follow each state link for the original wage snapshot and its precision measures.

The published wage benchmark

BLS reports an annual mean wage of $131,910 and annual median wage of $133,200 for physician assistants in South Dakota. The hourly mean is $63.42; the hourly median is $64.04. These are employee wage estimates, not quoted contract rates. Employment estimate: 680. That is an estimated job count, not open jobs or a count of available clinicians.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS area data

National comparison

The national mean for this occupation is $141,280. Compare it as a separate national benchmark, not a prediction of your offer.

What the South Dakota numbers mean for a PA offer

The South Dakota physician assistants row pairs its $131,910 annual mean with a $133,200 annual median. The employment estimate is 680 employee jobs, not current vacancies. Mean and median are different measures, not the ends of a salary range. These are employee wage estimates, not offers or total compensation. The wage relative standard error is 1.1%. RSE describes estimate precision, not the spread between individual offers. South Dakota's PA annual mean is $9,370 below the published national PA mean of $141,280, a 6.6% difference between employee-wage estimates. Its mean is $1,290 below its median.

PA practice and first-shift checks in South Dakota

South Dakota’s board distinguishes a collaborative agreement from an exemption for a nationally certified PA who files an affidavit attesting to at least 6,000 practice hours. Its instructions describe how that affidavit is requested and returned through the board process. Confirm that the documented exemption or required agreement applies to you; accumulated hours alone are not the same as the filed affidavit.

• Confirm that the written duties fit your experience, practice arrangement and facility privileges.
• Identify the owner of each remaining board, credentialing and orientation step.
• Compare the actual paid schedule, expenses and coverage, not an assumed local market range.

South Dakota official PA practice or licensing resource

What this data does and does not measure

OEWS includes full-time and part-time employees and does not include self-employed workers. Annual wage estimates generally use a 2,080-hour year; do not treat them as a part-time worker's actual yearly earnings. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. BLS publishes each rounded estimate separately, so use the published values rather than multiplying a rounded hourly wage. The occupation-level table does not provide a pay split for telemedicine, locum tenens, per diem or consulting. BLS uses the occupation name "Physician Assistants" (SOC 29-1071). This is a broad occupational benchmark, not a specialty-specific PA rate.

Sources: BLS OEWS frequently asked questions

How precise is the estimate?

Employment relative standard error: 3.7%. Wage relative standard error: 1.1%. RSE measures estimate precision; a smaller RSE means a more precise survey estimate.

Pay is one part of the job

Ask what work is included, who owns onboarding and what has to clear before the first shift. Keep your licenses and credentials current in one Saile profile, then check the app for relevant work.

Turn a salary benchmark into a useful offer comparison

Start with the published mean and median above, then compare the actual work rather than treating a wage estimate as a guaranteed offer. For PA work, confirm the clinical setting, procedures and applicable supervision or collaboration arrangements with the board and facility.

• Write down the patient scope, paid schedule, nights and call you are agreeing to cover.
• Ask which orientation, charting, messages, travel and administrative tasks are paid.
• Compare benefits, expenses, malpractice coverage, cancellation and exit terms beside the pay unit.
• Get the remaining licensing, privileges, orientation and system-access steps and their owners before committing a first shift.

Where to look and what to ask next

Check direct facility career pages and the Saile app for current opportunities. Search your role with the setting and schedule you want, such as temporary coverage, per diem or part-time. A published salary estimate is not evidence of a live vacancy. Ask the hiring team for the actual scope, dates and written terms before reserving your time.

Employee wages are not contractor take-home pay

The BLS figure excludes self-employed workers. For federal employment taxes, the IRS considers control and the relationship, not only the contract label. Self-employed individuals generally pay income and self-employment tax and may need estimated payments. Keep payment and expense records and take your actual arrangement to a tax professional; do not subtract a generic percentage and call it take-home pay.

Sources: IRS: Independent contractor or employee · IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center

Compare the work, not just the benchmark

Sources

• BLS May 2025 OEWS area data
• BLS OEWS frequently asked questions
• IRS: Independent contractor or employee
• IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center
• South Dakota official PA practice or licensing resource

Data period: May 2025. Published May 15, 2026.

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