Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Project weekly and annual earnings from South Dakota's minimum wage rate ($11.85/hr) and hours worked.
South Dakota's general state minimum wage is pre-filled at $11.85/hr (as of September 17, 2026, per the Tax Foundation and U.S. Department of Labor). Some cities/counties, and some job categories (tipped workers, minors), have different rates -- edit the rate below if a different one applies to you, and always verify current figures at your state labor department or dol.gov.
South Dakota's general state minimum wage is $11.85/hr (as of September 17, 2026, per the Tax Foundation and U.S. Department of Labor). This tool projects weekly and annual earnings from an hourly rate and hours worked, pre-filled with South Dakota's current minimum wage -- editable for your own actual rate.
Enter an hourly rate (pre-filled with South Dakota's minimum wage), hours worked per week, and weeks worked per year. Your projected weekly and annual pay appear instantly.
South Dakota's headline rate of $11.85 is $4.60 above the $7.25 federal minimum, or about 63% higher. Where a state rate is higher than the federal one, covered employers generally have to pay the higher figure.
Ranked against all 51 jurisdictions in this data set, South Dakota comes in at number 26 from the top. The jurisdictions with headline rates closest to South Dakota's are Nevada ($12.00), New Mexico ($12.00), Minnesota ($11.41).
For context, South Dakota also charges a 4.2% state sales tax -- see the South Dakota sales tax calculator for how that adds up at the register.
These figures multiply South Dakota's $11.85 rate across common schedules, over 52 weeks, before any taxes or deductions:
Every extra dollar per hour is worth $40.00 a week and $2,080.00 over a full-time year at 40 hours. Put differently, a full-time worker paid exactly $11.85 earns about $24,648.00 a year before tax, which is roughly 62% of a $40,000 salary.
Under the federal rule for covered, non-exempt employees, hours beyond 40 in a week are generally paid at one and a half times the regular rate. At South Dakota's headline minimum, ten overtime hours would be worth $177.75 for those hours alone ($17.78 per hour). This calculator multiplies rate by hours and weeks as entered and does not apply overtime automatically, so add overtime pay separately. Some states add their own daily-overtime or premium-pay rules, so check South Dakota's labor department for the rules that apply to your job.
Working backwards is often more useful than forwards. To earn $2,000.00 a month before tax at South Dakota's $11.85 rate you would need about 38.9 hours a week, and to reach $3,000.00 a month about 58.4 hours a week. A $30,000.00 annual target works out to about 2532 paid hours in the year at that rate (roughly 48.7 hours per week), and $50,000.00 to about 4219 paid hours. Numbers like these show how sharply the hourly figure limits earning power, which is why people often compare the local minimum wage against a rough local cost of living before deciding whether a job's pay is workable. They also show why many workers seek hours above the minimum or a raise once they have some experience.
South Dakota's $11.85 figure is the general rate, but it isn't universal -- tipped employees, minors, students, and seasonal or agricultural workers can be governed by different numbers, and employer size or a local ordinance can raise it further in some cities or counties. This calculator simply projects whatever rate you enter, so adjust it to match your real situation and verify with the South Dakota labor department or the U.S. Department of Labor.
Not necessarily -- tipped workers, minors, and some other job categories can have different minimum wage rules in many states, and some cities/counties set their own local minimum wage above the state figure. Edit the rate field if a different one applies to your specific situation.
Your state's Department of Labor (or equivalent) and the U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) publish current official minimum wage rates -- always verify there, since rates change over time, often annually.
At $11.85 an hour for 40 hours a week over 52 weeks, gross pay is about $24,648 a year, or roughly $2,054 a month before taxes and deductions.
Yes. The rate used here, $11.85, is $4.60 above the $7.25 federal minimum wage, and covered employers generally have to pay the higher of the two.
Workers earning the standard minimum wage in South Dakota are paid $11.85 an hour. Ranked against every other state and DC, that's 26th highest of 51 jurisdictions -- 25 set a higher floor, 20 match the $7.25 federal rate, and South Dakota is $4.60 an hour (63.4%) above the $7.25 federal minimum. District of Columbia tops this dataset at $18.40/hour -- South Dakota would need a $6.55 raise to match it.
For context, South Dakota also charges a 4.2% state sales tax -- see the South Dakota sales tax calculator for how that adds up at the register.
| Hours worked in a week | Gross pay for the week |
|---|---|
| 10 | $118.50 |
| 20 | $237.00 |
| 25 | $296.25 |
| 30 | $355.50 |
| 35 | $414.75 |
| 40 | $474.00 |
At a full 40-hour week that's $474.00, or $2,054.00 a month and $24,648.00 a year (2,080 hours). Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, hours worked past 40 in a week are paid at 1.5×, so overtime for a South Dakota minimum-wage worker runs $17.78 an hour.
These are gross figures. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare (7.65% for the employee) and any state or local taxes come out of them, so take-home pay is lower; the paycheck calculator shows the difference.
Of South Dakota's 6 bordering states, 1 sets a higher minimum wage and 5 set a lower one.
| Neighbouring state | General minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | $15.00 per hour |
| Minnesota | $11.41 per hour |
| Montana | $10.85 per hour |
| Iowa | $7.25 per hour |
| North Dakota | $7.25 per hour |
| Wyoming | $7.25 per hour |
How many hours do you need to work in South Dakota to earn $1000 at minimum wage?
At $11.85/hour, earning $1,000 before taxes takes 84.4 hours. For $100 it's 8.4 hours, and for $2,000 it's 168.8 hours.
Is South Dakota's minimum wage above or below $15 an hour?
South Dakota's $11.85/hour rate is $3.15 below the $15.00/hour figure often cited in minimum-wage debates.
What is the difference between South Dakota's minimum wage and the federal minimum wage?
South Dakota sets its own floor $4.60/hour above the federal $7.25 rate, so the state figure is the one that applies to most workers there.
What does overtime pay look like at South Dakota's minimum wage?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn 1.5× their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. At South Dakota's $11.85/hour floor, that's $17.78/hour for overtime hours.
Figures are as of September 17, 2026, per the Tax Foundation and U.S. Department of Labor. Cities, counties, tipped and youth wages and employer size can change the rate that applies to you; check the U.S. Department of Labor state minimum wage page or your state labor department.
Reference: Internal Revenue Service