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Construction trades programs in South Dakota
South Dakota has 4 accredited campuses awarding construction credentials. If you finish and work as a construction laborer in South Dakota, expect to start around $35,180–$38,300 and reach a median of $45,710 with experience; the top quarter earn $48,120 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota). Graduates of these South Dakota programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $32,968 in their first year, against $27,572 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What construction laborers earn in South Dakota
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 1,780 employed in South Dakota. National median: $47,120.
Campuses in South Dakota, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: MitchellRapid CitySissetonWatertown
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Technical College | Mitchell | Public | 33 | $34,787 | $10,866 | 76% | not reported |
| Lake Area Technical College | Watertown | Public | 20 | $31,150 | $12,000 | 73% | not reported |
| Western Dakota Technical College | Rapid City | Public | 10 | not reported | not reported | 54% | not reported |
| Sisseton Wahpeton College | Sisseton | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.