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Police pay in South Dakota
Entry pay in South Dakota runs from $55,578 to $72,030 a year. Verified at 9 agencies, each figure taken from that employer's own published document and dated on its page.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
The middle South Dakota agency starts officers on $66,456, below the national middle of $68,390 — 23rd of the 50 states we can rank.
How South Dakota compares
Every figure below is a starting salary — what an agency pays an officer in their first year, before overtime. Each one is the middle agency of its group: half pay more, half pay less.
| Agencies compared | Middle SD agency | Middle US agency | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All agencies | $66,456 | $68,390 | −3% |
| City departments | $68,307 | $71,302 | −4% |
| Sheriff's offices | $63,357 | $65,374 | −3% |
The best-paid agency in South Dakota starts officers on 1.3 times what the lowest-paid one does — $72,030 against $55,578. Overall, South Dakota ranks 23rd of the 50 states we can rank.
By level
Municipal5 agencies
Lowest$58,253
Middle$68,307
Highest$72,030
Across 5 city departments in South Dakota.
Sheriff3 agencies
Lowest$55,578
Middle$63,357
Highest$66,893
Across 3 sheriff's offices in South Dakota.
State1 agency
South Dakota Highway Patrol$64,251
Only one verified here, so we name it rather than give a middle figure.
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Every South Dakota agency we have verified
| # | Agency | Level | Entry pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls Police Department | Municipal | $72,030 |
| 2 | Spearfish Police Department | Municipal | $68,307 |
| 3 | Pierre Police Department | Municipal | $68,307 |
| 4 | Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office | County | $66,893 |
| 5 | Rapid City Police Department | Municipal | $66,456 |
| 6 | South Dakota Highway Patrol | State | $64,251 |
| 7 | Pennington County Sheriff's Office | County | $63,357 |
| 8 | Yankton Police Department | Municipal | $58,253 |
| 9 | Brown County Sheriff's Office | County | $55,578 |
Across the state line
What the middle agency starts on in the states South Dakota borders.
Also: Every agency we have verified The statistics Municipal departments Sheriff's offices
Figures checked between 8 August 2026 and 15 August 2026. Entry-level base salary only — overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more than the figure shown. Where an agency publishes both an academy rate and a post-academy rate, the post-academy rate is used. A missing agency has not been checked, not found to pay less.
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