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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.1 for South Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $109,530 — what the $96,550 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $91,958 to $159,843.

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 Lawyer 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 $67,580 to $226,520. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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 the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in South Dakota?

No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In South Dakota BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.

Is the South Dakota bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?

Yes — South Dakota's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. South Dakota markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

How Much Do Lawyers Make in South Dakota? $97K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Headline Lawyer pay in South Dakota is $96,550. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $109,530.
Lawyer ranking: #48 on the BLS table, #44 once cost of living is in.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $12,980 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $67,580 · P25 $81,060 · P75 $140,900 · P90 $226,520.

Wage breakdown — South Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$67,580	$76,666
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,060	$91,958
P50 (median)	$96,550	$109,530
P75 (upper quartile)	$140,900	$159,843
P90 (top tier)	$226,520	$256,974
Mean	$129,500	$146,910
Employment	1,130 Lawyers 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 (Lawyer)	$96,550	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,488	12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,386	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$76,676	79.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$86,984	÷ (88.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

South Dakota levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $4,828 a year for a Lawyer at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $86,984 — 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 $151,160 for Lawyers with mean pay of $182,760 and total employment of 747,750. South Dakota sits at #48 on nominal pay and #44 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Dakota climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in South Dakota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.1 for South Dakota), the real-wage equivalent is $109,530 — what the $96,550 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $91,958 to $159,843.
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 Lawyer 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 $67,580 to $226,520. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
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 the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in South Dakota?: No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In South Dakota BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.
Is the South Dakota bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?: Yes — South Dakota's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. South Dakota markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-1011, 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 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how South Dakota Lawyer 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.