Cosmetologist pay in South Dakota after taxes: what you keep (2026)

The median cosmetologist in South Dakota earned $49,050 a year in May 2024, which is $24 an hour for a full-time year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of the 530 cosmetologists the BLS counts in South Dakota earned more than that and half earned less; the middle half of them sat between $38,630 and $58,870. That is the gross figure, before anyone takes anything. What you keep depends on South Dakota's tax, and South Dakota has no state income tax on wages.

What the median cosmetologist keeps in South Dakota

For a single filer on the median $49,050, taking the standard deduction and no other adjustments:

South Dakota takes nothing from wages, so the only deductions are federal. That is worth $2,453 a year against a state with a flat 5% tax on the same salary. Health insurance, retirement contributions and local taxes are not in it either; they vary by employer and by city.

Where South Dakota ranks for cosmetologist pay

Of the 50 states, South Dakota ranks 4 of 50 on the gross median for cosmetologists, in the top ten. The highest-paying state is Washington at $58,920 and the lowest is Louisiana at $23,470. Gross rank is not take-home rank: a state with no income tax climbs several places once the state line is applied, and a high-tax state drops.

Across the border

The same job in the states next to South Dakota, gross median and estimated take-home for a single filer:

None of South Dakota's neighbours beats it on take-home for cosmetologists. Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, Iowa, North Dakota and Wyoming pay less once tax is counted. Pay is one line; rent is the other, and a higher median in a metro with higher rent can leave you with less.

Where the cosmetologist jobs are in South Dakota

The BLS count of 530 cosmetologists is statewide. The metros with the most of that work are Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen, which is where the median is set and where the upper quartile ($58,870 and above) is most often paid. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are listed on the South Dakota openings page; those filings are the ones already paying to bring people in, and housing or transport is often part of the offer.

What people get wrong about cosmetologist pay in South Dakota

• Quoting the mean. The BLS mean for South Dakota is $23 an hour, pulled up by the top earners. The median ($24) is what the typical cosmetologist makes.
• Comparing gross across states. South Dakota's zero state tax means its gross understates it against taxed states.
• Forgetting the employer's share of insurance. A job that pays $47,050 with full health coverage can beat one that pays $52,050 without it.
• Treating the statewide median as the metro median. Sioux Falls pays differently from a rural county; ask for the figure for the place you are actually going.

Everything about South Dakota, on one page

The South Dakota page has the licence registries and boards, the state tax at three salaries, the programs that pay you to come, and the openings filed in South Dakota this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of South Dakota employers hiring from out of state.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates for Cosmetologist. Tax lines are a single filer with the standard deduction, 2024 federal brackets, and the state rate in lib/us-states.ts; progressive states are approximated. Not tax advice.