Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations in South Dakota, May 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. BLS sorts every occupation into one of 22 major groups; this is the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations group in South Dakota. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in South Dakota
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 19-0000 |
| Employment | 4,780 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 10.549 |
| Location quotient | 1.12 |
| Mean annual wage | $65,580 |
| Median annual wage | $61,760 |
| Mean hourly wage | $31.53 |
| Median hourly wage | $29.69 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $38,620 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $47,360 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $78,550 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $96,090 |
Detailed occupations in this group in South Dakota
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in South Dakota, sorted by employment. Rows where BLS publishes no employment estimate (**) come last. Click a column heading to sort. A cell that reads “not published annually” or “not published hourly” means BLS publishes that row on the other basis only. A cell showing * or # is BLS’s own footnote symbol, explained below the table. Each row is that occupation’s own BLS record for South Dakota.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservation Scientists | 400 | $72,550 | $71,770 | $47,060 | $98,550 | $34.88 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 400 | $61,970 | $66,990 | $46,870 | $85,580 | $29.79 |
| Agricultural Technicians | 380 | $38,650 | $38,960 | $31,440 | $51,100 | $18.58 |
| Forest and Conservation Technicians | 380 | $52,290 | $54,520 | $37,290 | $76,090 | $25.14 |
| Biological Technicians | 320 | $39,560 | $43,720 | $38,510 | $53,320 | $19.02 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | 260 | $68,080 | $71,740 | $48,660 | $96,090 | $32.73 |
| Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 220 | $79,460 | $79,050 | $47,750 | $103,700 | $38.2 |
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | 200 | $62,200 | $65,880 | $51,810 | $81,080 | $29.9 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 180 | $67,180 | $71,030 | $39,560 | $99,800 | $32.3 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 180 | $71,510 | $73,420 | $55,450 | $93,830 | $34.38 |
| Chemists | 150 | $64,480 | $68,940 | $50,460 | $93,090 | $31 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 130 | $77,070 | $82,560 | $60,940 | $121,590 | $37.05 |
| Microbiologists | 130 | $77,730 | $89,790 | $47,150 | $173,750 | $37.37 |
| School Psychologists | 130 | $76,990 | $78,130 | $62,180 | $120,600 | $37.01 |
| Foresters | 110 | $63,510 | $64,300 | $48,840 | $76,340 | $30.53 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 100 | $85,790 | $87,040 | $60,860 | $118,280 | $41.25 |
| Food Science Technicians | 100 | $46,000 | $43,910 | $33,540 | $54,530 | $22.12 |
| Chemical Technicians | 90 | $47,970 | $47,640 | $37,640 | $57,140 | $23.06 |
| Animal Scientists | 80 | $56,400 | $64,060 | $53,270 | $82,400 | $27.12 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 80 | $83,710 | $92,300 | $57,100 | $134,430 | $40.25 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | 80 | $41,250 | $50,810 | $26,000 | $94,310 | $19.83 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 70 | $68,270 | $72,180 | $41,660 | $104,790 | $32.82 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 70 | $72,280 | $72,940 | $56,510 | $79,740 | $34.75 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 70 | $82,220 | $84,150 | $65,960 | $101,440 | $39.53 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | 60 | $50,180 | $50,390 | $35,530 | $62,120 | $24.12 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | 40 | $61,960 | $67,170 | $48,170 | $94,310 | $29.79 |
| Hydrologic Technicians | 40 | $52,890 | $56,790 | $36,190 | $79,790 | $25.43 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | 30 | $49,280 | $49,450 | $24,960 | $80,050 | $23.69 |
| Physicists | 30 | $78,390 | $104,100 | $51,000 | $172,940 | $37.69 |
| Psychologists, All Other | 30 | $128,560 | $121,650 | $33,470 | $165,280 | $61.81 |
Symbols (BLS wording, workbook sheet Field Descriptions sheet): ** indicates that an employment estimate is not available · * indicates that a wage estimate is not available · # indicates a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. A wage shown as a symbol is not zero and not a blank: BLS publishes no number there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. Record: state_M2024_dl.xlsx!AREA=46&OCC_CODE=19-0000. the group row is AREA 46 / OCC_CODE 19-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 46 / OCC_CODE 19-xxxx. Reference period: May 2024. Fetched October 2026 from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zip.
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