Firefighters in South Dakota

Get the information you need to know about working as a Firefighter.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Firefighters in South Dakota are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Firefighters in South Dakota is growing slower than average.

• Firefighters in South Dakota earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Firefighters Work in South Dakota?

There were approximately 570 workers employed as Firefighters in this state in 2018.

There were 480 Firefighters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 90 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 4,240 Firefighters working in it, which means South Dakota has fewer Firefighters than average.

Job Projections for South Dakota

Jobs for Firefighters in this state are growing at a rate of 3.2% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.2%.

South Dakota Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 40 annual job openings, and a total of 640 jobs for South Dakota Firefighters in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 24,300 annual jobs and 350,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Firefighters Make in South Dakota?

In 2018 wages for Firefighters ranged from $28,590 to $69,790 with $40,470 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $13.75 to $33.55. The median hourly rate was $19.46.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $21.09 an hour.

The hourly rate declined by $1.63.

The median salary in South Dakota is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top South Dakota Metros for Firefighters

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Firefighters.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Sioux Falls, SD	250	$57,100
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	190	$52,610
Rapid City, SD	160	$34,210

Top States for Firefighters Employment

View the list below to see where most Firefighters work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	32,910	$74,700
Texas	29,110	$51,240
Florida	22,690	$50,620
Ohio	19,210	$45,910
Illinois	17,170	$52,650
North Carolina	14,870	$32,590
New York	11,880	$81,240
Massachusetts	11,640	$59,330
Georgia	11,280	$37,240
Virginia	10,160	$49,110
Wisconsin	9,450	$35,130
Washington	7,750	$75,200
Indiana	7,430	$50,560
Minnesota	6,840	$30,560
Michigan	6,640	$45,210
Missouri	6,500	$47,750
Arizona	6,380	$44,190
Louisiana	6,220	$28,200
Tennessee	5,710	$39,610
Alabama	5,680	$41,330

Below are the states where Firefighters get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
New York	$81,240
New Jersey	$76,380
Washington	$75,200
California	$74,700
Oregon	$67,820
Connecticut	$67,260
Nevada	$64,920
Hawaii	$60,420
Maryland	$59,870
Massachusetts	$59,330

What Major Will Prepare You For a Firefighter Career?

• Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.