How much does an Auto Mechanic make in South Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,410 for Auto Mechanics 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 $43,770 and the 75th-percentile is $62,870.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Auto Mechanic salary in South Dakota?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.1 for South Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $54,918 — what the $48,410 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $49,655 to $71,322.

How are South Dakota Auto Mechanic salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Auto Mechanic pay scale look like in South Dakota?

The 90th percentile lands at $77,900. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $62,870.

Where does South Dakota rank for Auto Mechanic 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.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,410 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,918. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Auto Mechanics comparing offers across regions.

Dealership flat-rate vs independent shop hourly pay in South Dakota?

BLS reports annual W-2 wages, which mechanically combines both pay structures. In South Dakota, dealership techs paid on flat-rate (book hours × hourly rate, regardless of clock time) can dramatically out- or underperform the BLS median depending on shop volume and skill: top dealership techs in busy South Dakota markets routinely clear 1.5-2× the BLS median, while slower shops or brand-specific dealers leave techs below median. Independent shops more commonly pay hourly or salary, producing more compressed distributions near BLS median. The BLS figure on this page is the central tendency across both models.

South Dakota Automotive Mechanic Salary: BLS $48K Median, Real $55K (2026)

TL;DR

$48,410 is the BLS median wage for Auto Mechanics in South Dakota; $54,918 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
State ranks #32 nationally on nominal wage, #11 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $6,508.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $37,450 · P25 $43,770 · P75 $62,870 · P90 $77,900.

Wage breakdown — South Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$37,450	$42,485
P25 (lower quartile)	$43,770	$49,655
P50 (median)	$48,410	$54,918
P75 (upper quartile)	$62,870	$71,322
P90 (top tier)	$77,900	$88,373
Mean	$54,000	$61,260
Employment	2,190 Auto Mechanics 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 (Auto Mechanic)	$48,410	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,671	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,703	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$41,035	84.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$46,552	÷ (88.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

South Dakota levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,421 a year for a Auto Mechanic at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $46,552 — 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 $49,670 for Auto Mechanics with mean pay of $55,260 and total employment of 688,840. South Dakota sits at #32 on nominal pay and #11 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Dakota climbs 21 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Auto Mechanic make in South Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,410 for Auto Mechanics 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 $43,770 and the 75th-percentile is $62,870.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Auto Mechanic salary in South Dakota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.1 for South Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $54,918 — what the $48,410 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $49,655 to $71,322.
How are South Dakota Auto Mechanic salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Auto Mechanic pay scale look like in South Dakota?: The 90th percentile lands at $77,900. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $62,870.
Where does South Dakota rank for Auto Mechanic 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.
Is South Dakota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Auto Mechanics?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $48,410 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $54,918. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Auto Mechanics comparing offers across regions.
Dealership flat-rate vs independent shop hourly pay in South Dakota?: BLS reports annual W-2 wages, which mechanically combines both pay structures. In South Dakota, dealership techs paid on flat-rate (book hours × hourly rate, regardless of clock time) can dramatically out- or underperform the BLS median depending on shop volume and skill: top dealership techs in busy South Dakota markets routinely clear 1.5-2× the BLS median, while slower shops or brand-specific dealers leave techs below median. Independent shops more commonly pay hourly or salary, producing more compressed distributions near BLS median. The BLS figure on this page is the central tendency across both models.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 49-3023, 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 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how South Dakota Auto Mechanic 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.