- Wages
- Landscaping
- South Dakota
How much does a landscaper make in South Dakota?
In South Dakota, landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned an average of $17.60 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $17.01 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$17.60
$17.01
$20.33
$2.73 less an hour
$36,608
By the hour, the week and the year in South Dakota
At 40 hours a week, the average of $17.60 an hour comes to $704.00 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $36,608 a year, and the median of $17.01 to $35,381 a year.
In South Dakota, the average is $0.59 above the median (3.5%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn $17.01 an hour or less.
How does South Dakota compare?
The average in South Dakota is $2.73 below the national average of $20.33 (13.4% less), about $5,678 less a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, South Dakota ranks 45 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $18.82 an hour.
South Dakota and its Census division, West North Central
Of the 7 states of the division with data for this trade, South Dakota pays the lowest average, $17.60; the next is Kansas with $19.49.
| State | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $22.21 | $22.41 | +$4.61 |
| North Dakota | $21.04 | $19.61 | +$3.44 |
| Nebraska | $20.36 | $18.82 | +$2.76 |
| Iowa | $19.84 | $18.71 | +$2.24 |
| Missouri | $19.56 | $18.52 | +$1.96 |
| Kansas | $19.49 | $18.91 | +$1.89 |
| South Dakota | $17.60 | $17.01 |
This trade and the others in South Dakota
Of the 5 trades this site prices, landscaping and groundskeeping workers rank 4 of the 5 by average wage in South Dakota. Among them, the average runs from $15.38 (Cleaning) to $24.40 (Drywall).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against landscaping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall | $24.40 | $23.49 | +$6.80 |
| Concrete | $23.46 | $22.67 | +$5.86 |
| Painting | $22.94 | $23.15 | +$5.34 |
| Landscaping | $17.60 | $17.01 | |
| Cleaning | $15.38 | $14.40 | -$2.22 |
Against the minimum wage in South Dakota
The minimum wage in South Dakota is $11.85 an hour for most employers. The median of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, $17.01, is $5.16 above it, 43.5% more than the minimum. Over 2,080 hours the minimum comes to $24,648 a year.
From wage to rate
This is what an employer pays an employee, not what a contractor bills. Your rate also has to cover your overhead (vehicle, insurance, tools), your profit, and the hours you cannot bill.
If you pay a helper the median wage in South Dakota, $17.01 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the landscaping calculator cost $136.08 in wages. With its $55.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $241.72; at the national median, $18.82, the same job comes to $260.04. A wage is only the floor: your own rate also pays your taxes, your unbilled hours and your business.