Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Salary in South Dakota

Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors in South Dakota earned a median of $51,830 a year ($24.92 an hour) and a mean of $53,980 in May 2025. The median is 19.4% below the U.S. median of $64,330, ranking lowest of 53 states and territories, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupation Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsSOC 21-1012Area South DakotaPeriod May 2025

Median annual: $51,830
Median hourly: $24.92
Mean annual: $53,980
Jobs on record: 1,000

$41,56010th percentile$19.98 an hour

$46,55025th percentile$22.38 an hour

$51,830Median$24.92 an hour

$60,08075th percentile$28.89 an hour

$65,99090th percentile$31.72 an hour

Grey needle: U.S. median, $64,330 a year.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Confirm any figure on bls.gov/oes. Latest BLS release: May 2025, published May 15, 2026; checked November 10, 2026.

How does South Dakota compare on pay for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors?

South Dakota ranks 53rd of 53 states and territories. California is highest at $86,500, $34,670 more than the South Dakota median.

State	Rank	Median	Against U.S.	Jobs
Puerto Rico	51	$53,000	-18%	1,050
Oklahoma	52	$52,040	-19%	4,830
South Dakota	53	$51,830	-19%	1,000

Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025. Rank 1 is the highest median among 53 states and territories with a published figure. See every state.

Does South Dakota pay go further after prices?

Prices in South Dakota run 11.4% below the U.S. average, so the $51,830 median buys about what $58,508 buys at average U.S. prices, below the $64,330 U.S. median. On this measure South Dakota ranks 48th of 51, up from 51st before the adjustment.

Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025; BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. The adjustment divides pay by the state's price level.

Which areas in South Dakota pay educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors the most?

Rapid City, SD is highest at $56,040, 8.1% above the South Dakota median.

Area	Median	Jobs
Rapid City, SD	$56,040	120
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	$52,250	410
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$51,060	260
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	$50,740	200

Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area file, May 2025. Every area BLS lists for this job in South Dakota is shown; an area that crosses state lines is listed under the first state in its BLS title.

How many educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors work in South Dakota?

BLS counts 1,000 jobs in South Dakota, 0.28% of the 353,310 in the U.S. That is the 48th largest count among the 53 states and territories with a published figure. That is 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in South Dakota, a location quotient of 0.96: the occupation's share of local jobs is 0.96 times its national share, so it is about as concentrated here as in the U.S. as a whole.

Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025 and national file.

Related jobs in South Dakota

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors pay across the U.S.$64,330 median All jobs in South Dakota$47,080 median, all jobs Job outlook for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsProjected change and openings a year Rehabilitation Counselors$49,350 median in South Dakota Child, Family, and School Social Workers$51,100 median in South Dakota Social and Human Service Assistants$38,350 median in South Dakota Health Education Specialists$57,370 median in South Dakota Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$48,920 median in South Dakota School Psychologists$78,370 median in South Dakota

Related occupations from O*NET; pay from BLS OEWS state file, May 2025.