Moving between states / South Dakota
Massachusettsto
South DakotaMoving from Massachusetts to South Dakota for work
What moves with you from Massachusetts to South Dakota: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary South Dakota leaves you roughly $3,000 a year more than Massachusetts does, because South Dakota has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Massachusetts state tax | South Dakota state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,000 | $0 | +$2,000 |
| $60,000 | $3,000 | $0 | +$3,000 |
| $90,000 | $4,500 | $0 | +$4,500 |
Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. In Massachusetts: plus 4% on income above about $1 million. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Massachusetts to South Dakota
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Massachusetts certificate stays on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in South Dakota you apply to the South Dakota Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Massachusetts to South Dakota
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Massachusetts is not in the compact, so your Massachusetts licence is single-state. Apply to the South Dakota board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because South Dakota is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.
Electrician: Massachusetts to South Dakota
Reciprocity likely. South Dakota licenses electricians at state level through the South Dakota Electrical Commission, and reciprocity with a group of states for journeymen licensed by exam. Your Massachusetts licence comes from the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: Massachusetts to South Dakota
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a South Dakota resident you surrender the Massachusetts CDL at a South Dakota driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in South Dakota. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does South Dakota pay you to come?
No statewide program in South Dakota pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.
Openings filed in South Dakota
63 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by South Dakota employers who could not fill them locally.
- Cattle Ranch and Farm WorkerGoehring Routier Inc · Buffalo · $17.92/hr
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals - LivestockDaniel Pravecek · Winner · $17.92/hr
- Farm Construction Worker/LaborerSBH Ag Services, Inc. · Highmore · $17.23/hr
- Ranch HandThyen Farms · Watertown · $17.92/hr
- Ag Equipment OperatorMcCloud Ranch · Cresbard · $17.92/hr
- Beekeeper HelperPaul Taylor · Faith · $17.92/hr
Your own route from Massachusetts to South Dakota
Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for South Dakota employers.
Plan my move to South DakotaSame move, by trade
CNA: Massachusetts to South Dakota · RN or LPN: Massachusetts to South Dakota · Electrician: Massachusetts to South Dakota · Truck driver: Massachusetts to South Dakota
From Massachusetts to the states next to South Dakota
North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · Minnesota (progressive, top rate 9.85%) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Montana (progressive, top rate 5.9%)
To South Dakota from the states next to Massachusetts
New Hampshire · Vermont · New York · Connecticut · Rhode Island
Everything about working in South Dakota · All moves between states · All 50 states