Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Physician Assistant salary in South Dakota
The average Physician Assistant salary in South Dakota is $136,500 per year on WePayFairly's 2026 basis. The 25th-to-75th-percentile range is $116,500 to $147,500. Based on BLS state wage data, aged to 2026.
The following occupation, experience, industry and career information describes the role nationally. For South Dakota pay, use the state figures above and the state salary questions below.
Total cash compensation
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical experience: 0 to 3 years at the Analyst / Associate level, per widely used corporate career-level norms (Radford, Mercer, and SHRM career-level frameworks). Actual expectations vary by function, industry, and company size.
Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
Top skills:Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessService Orientation
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Physician Assistant pay by experience level
Entry level$103,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$125,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$140,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$169,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$197,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+20.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
12,000
projected openings per year
Growing faster than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Physician Assistant salary by industry
Ambulatory Health Care Services
106,300 workers
$143,500
Offices of Physicians
86,830 workers
$141,000
Hospitals
43,260 workers
$151,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
40,850 workers
$151,000
Hospitals, Privately Owned
36,980 workers
$151,000
Outpatient Care Centers
14,980 workers
$160,000
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
4,790 workers
$160,000
Hospitals, Local Government Owned
4,050 workers
$146,500
Educational Services
3,670 workers
$142,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
3,660 workers
$142,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 153,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
77.5%
White
81.4%
Black or African American
4.8%
Asian
11%
Hispanic or Latino
12.2%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $115,390 to $135,880.
+17.8% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$103,000
Early career25th percentile
$125,000
Median50th percentile
$140,500
Experienced75th percentile
$169,500
Top earners90th percentile
$197,000
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
FLSA classification (typical)
Varies (typically Exempt if salaried) · Depends on duties and pay basis
Entry-level roles paid on a salary basis above the threshold typically qualify for the Professional or Administrative exemption. Roles paid hourly are Non-exempt regardless of duties. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$146,000
2027$151,000
2028$156,500
2029$162,000
2030$167,500
2031$173,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Physician Assistant
Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
One-time purchase. Review the final total, including any applicable tax, in Stripe before you pay. Report available immediately after successful payment. Full refund on request within 7 days of purchase. Refund terms. Prefer to explore first? Run a free market check.
Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
South Dakota salary questions
How much does a Physician Assistant make in South Dakota?
The average base salary for a Physician Assistant in South Dakota is $136,500 per year, or about $65.63 per hour, on WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
What is the median Physician Assistant salary in South Dakota?
The median is $138,000 per year on the same 2026 basis. The median is the middle wage in the state distribution; the average is $136,500.
What is the typical Physician Assistant salary range in South Dakota?
The 25th-to-75th-percentile range in South Dakota is $116,500 to $147,500 per year on the 2026 basis. These percentiles describe the state wage distribution; individual pay varies by employer and experience.
How does Physician Assistant pay in South Dakota compare with the national average?
The South Dakota average of $136,500 is $9,500 (6.5%) below the national average of $146,000. Both figures use WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
Where do these South Dakota salary figures come from?
The state figures come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state data. WePayFairly applies the same compounded market movement factor used elsewhere on this page to express the published figures on a 2026 basis. They are estimates, not a guarantee of a particular offer.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Physician Assistant pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
