Veterinary Technician Salary in South Dakota
Veterinary technologists and technicians in South Dakota earned a median annual wage of $45,300 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $2,080, or 4%, below the national median of $47,380.
The state's floor sits almost even with the nation's, and the gap holds flat through the median, but it breaks sharply above that: 18% at the 75th percentile and 20% at the 90th.
South Dakota's technician workforce is small: 300 employed, 49th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
10th percentile
$35,780
25th percentile
$37,430
75th percentile
$47,040
90th percentile
$50,440
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — South Dakota, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
South Dakota vs. the national figures
The South Dakota median is below the national median by 4%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 33rd, and 49th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Flat through the median, then a sharp break above it
At the median, South Dakota sits $2,080 below the nation: $45,300 against $47,380, a 4% gap.
The floor of the distribution barely moves — the South Dakota 10th percentile, $35,780, is a 0% difference from the national $35,710, essentially matching it — and the 25th percentile holds the same 4% gap as the median.
The break comes above the median: the South Dakota 75th percentile, $47,040, is 18% below the national $57,650, and the 90th percentile, $50,440, is 20% below the national $63,180.
A technician benchmarking an offer against national percentiles above the median would overstate what the South Dakota distribution actually shows, and the overstatement is sharpest at the top of the range.
A narrow band, compressed toward the median
Half of the South Dakota technicians counted earned between $37,430 and $47,040 — a band $9,610 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile ($35,780) to the 90th ($50,440), South Dakota spans $14,660, against $27,470 nationally.
The median also sits much closer to the 75th percentile than to the 25th: only $1,740 below the one, versus $7,870 above the other, so the top of the South Dakota range is compressed close to the middle.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution has this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
The hourly median mirrors the annual gap
The data set behind this page carries South Dakota's hourly wage only at the median: $21.78, against $22.78 nationally, a 4% gap that matches the gap in the annual median.
That makes it the figure to hold an hourly posting against.
For the rest of the range the annual percentiles are the only guide here, so before comparing a posted rate with them, ask the employer how many hours a week the role is scheduled for.
A small workforce estimate — 49th of 51 by employment
BLS estimates that 300 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in South Dakota, 49th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median for the occupation.
That is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of vacancies, so a small estimate like this one describes the size of the occupation in the state rather than saying anything about how easy or hard positions are to fill.
A state registration, not an RVT, through SDVMEB
South Dakota calls the credential a registration, issued by the South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and requires it before a licensed veterinarian may employ a technician, even part time.
The route runs through an accredited veterinary technology program and the VTNE with a minimum score of 425 under Criterion Based Scoring; the documents behind this page show no on-the-job alternative.
Continuing education is twelve credit hours in the twenty-four months before each renewal, and the certificate itself renews annually, due July 1, with a missed deadline forfeiting it.
The South Dakota requirements page on this site sets out the full route.
South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (SDVMEB)
A registration, not a license — the statute speaks of registered veterinary technicians, spelled out, and the letters RVT appear nowhere in the SDCL text read or on the Board's own forms.
The VTNE with a minimum score of 425 under Criterion Based Scoring, transferred to the Board from AAVSB; no state jurisprudence exam was found in the documents read.
A minimum of twelve credit hours in the twenty-four months before each renewal application; the certificate itself renews annually, due July 1, and missing that date forfeits it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in South Dakota?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the South Dakota median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $45,300, or $21.78 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so South Dakota sits 4% below it, ranking 33rd among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in South Dakota earn?
The South Dakota 90th percentile is $50,440, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 20% higher.
The gap is nearly as wide at the 75th percentile: $47,040 in South Dakota against $57,650 nationally, an 18% difference, which is why the upper half of the South Dakota range sits so far below the national one.
What does the lower end of the range look like in South Dakota?
The South Dakota 10th percentile is $35,780, almost identical to the national $35,710.
The 25th percentile, $37,430, is 4% below the national $38,910.
So the floor of the South Dakota range tracks the national floor closely — the gap only opens up higher in the distribution, reaching 18% at the 75th percentile and 20% at the 90th.
How many vet techs work in South Dakota?
BLS estimates that 300 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in South Dakota, 49th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
That is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of vacancies, so it describes the size of the occupation in the state rather than how quickly positions are filled.
Do you need a credential to work as a vet tech in South Dakota?
Yes.
South Dakota requires registration with the South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners before a licensed veterinarian may employ a technician, even part time.
The route runs through an accredited program and a VTNE score of at least 425, with twelve continuing-education hours every twenty-four months and renewal due each July 1.
The South Dakota requirements page on this site sets out the full route.
More South Dakota Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — South Dakota, SOC 29-2056 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-16)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 29-2056 (via O*NET OnLine) (retrieved 2026-08-15)
- South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners — technician registration qualifications, as summarised on the South Dakota requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOC 29-2056, retrieved 2026-09-16. Page last updated 2026-09-23.