How much does an MA make in South Dakota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $39,350 for MAs 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 $36,130 and the 75th-percentile is $44,550.

How are South Dakota MA 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 MA pay scale look like in South Dakota?

The 90th percentile lands at $47,840. 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 $44,550.

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 MA 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.

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.

Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in South Dakota?

BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In South Dakota, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in South Dakota. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in South Dakota typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

South Dakota Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $39K Median, Real $45K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in South Dakota earn a BLS median of $39,350, with real take-home of $44,640 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $5,290 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $31,450 · P25 $36,130 · P75 $44,550 · P90 $47,840.
Nominal: #35/51 · Real: #23/51 — ranking shifts by 12 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — South Dakota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$31,450	$35,678
P25 (lower quartile)	$36,130	$40,987
P50 (median)	$39,350	$44,640
P75 (upper quartile)	$44,550	$50,539
P90 (top tier)	$47,840	$54,272
Mean	$40,190	$45,593
Employment	1,170 MAs 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 (MA)	$39,350	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,584	6.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,010	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$33,756	85.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$38,294	÷ (88.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

South Dakota levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $1,968 a year for a MA at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $38,294 — 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 $44,200 for MAs with mean pay of $44,720 and total employment of 793,460. South Dakota sits at #35 on nominal pay and #23 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, South Dakota climbs 12 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in South Dakota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $39,350 for MAs 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 $36,130 and the 75th-percentile is $44,550.
How are South Dakota MA 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 MA pay scale look like in South Dakota?: The 90th percentile lands at $47,840. 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 $44,550.
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 MA 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.
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.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in South Dakota?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In South Dakota, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in South Dakota. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in South Dakota typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 31-9092, 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 MA 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.