How much does an Accountant make in South Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $77,310 for Accountants in South Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $64,300 and the 75th-percentile is $93,350.

Why is the BEA RPP for South Dakota different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Dakota's overall index of 88.1 reflects rents 64.8, services 81.3, and goods 97.4.

Where does South Dakota rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, South Dakota ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in South Dakota?

P10 to P90 spans $59,190 to $110,630. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is South Dakota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $77,310 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $87,704. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Accountants comparing offers across regions.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in South Dakota?

BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in South Dakota typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. South Dakota requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

How Much Do Accountants Make in South Dakota? $77K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports South Dakota Accountant median pay at $77,310. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $87,704.
P25-P75 spread runs $64,300 to $93,350; P10 floor $59,190, P90 ceiling $110,630.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $10,394 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
State ranks #32 nationally on nominal wage, #8 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — South Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$59,190	$67,148
P25 (lower quartile)	$64,300	$72,945
P50 (median)	$77,310	$87,704
P75 (upper quartile)	$93,350	$105,900
P90 (top tier)	$110,630	$125,503
Mean	$81,670	$92,650
Employment	5,950 Accountants in South Dakota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	South Dakota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.1
Goods	97.4
Services	81.3
Rents	64.8

South Dakota sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 64.8.

After-tax take-home — South Dakota (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$77,310	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$8,255	10.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,914	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$63,141	81.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$71,629	÷ (88.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the South Dakota state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

South Dakota levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $3,866 a year for a Accountant at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $71,629 — higher than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP is below 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. South Dakota sits at #32 on nominal pay and #8 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Dakota climbs 24 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in South Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $77,310 for Accountants in South Dakota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $64,300 and the 75th-percentile is $93,350.
Why is the BEA RPP for South Dakota different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. South Dakota's overall index of 88.1 reflects rents 64.8, services 81.3, and goods 97.4.
Where does South Dakota rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, South Dakota ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in South Dakota?: P10 to P90 spans $59,190 to $110,630. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is South Dakota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $77,310 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $87,704. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Accountants comparing offers across regions.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does CPA licensure raise accountant pay in South Dakota?: BLS aggregates accountants and auditors under SOC 13-2011 — CPA-licensed and non-CPA pay are not split. In practice, CPA-licensed accountants in South Dakota typically earn 10-20% above the all-accountant median, and the gap widens at the senior/manager level where CPA is functionally required for partner-track public accounting and CFO roles. South Dakota requires 150 semester hours of education to sit for the exam (the AICPA Uniform CPA standard).

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how South Dakota Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.