South Dakota State Minimum Wage

The South Dakota state minimum wage increased by $0.40 in January 2024, from $10.80 (2023) to $11.20 per hour in 2024.

This represents a 3.7% increase from 2023 to 2024. The South Dakota minimum wage in 2024 is significantly higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

South Dakota is one of many states to have a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage.

How the South Dakota minimum wage and most other states’ minimum wages are calculated is an accumulation of different things, for example, the cost of living, inflation, the consumer price index, and more.

If you are a full-time worker on minimum wage in South Dakota, your earnings could be as follows:

• Daily Minimum Wage: $89.60 (based on an 8-hour working day).
• Weekly Minimum Wage: $448.00 (based on a 40-hour week).
• Yearly Minimum Wage: $23,296.00 (based on being paid 2080 hours per year).

You can view and download the official South Dakota minimum wage labor law poster for 2024 here at no charge. Employers must display a poster outlining the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), ensuring that accurate employee time and pay records are kept.

For more information on the laws, regulations, and workers’ rights when considering the South Dakota minimum wage 2024, and previous years, visit the South Dakota Department of Labor website.

There, you will find information on employment and worker rights, a list of the South Dakota Codified Laws and Administrative Rules related to activities of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, and links to specific statutes.

South Dakota Minimum Wage Exemptions 2024

In addition to the regular minimum wage rate, there are a few South Dakota state minimum wage exemptions that typically depend on your age or employment situation.

Below are the various minimum wage exemptions with some situational examples.

South Dakota Student Minimum Wage

The minimum wage for student employees in South Dakota is 85% of the state minimum wage, making their hourly pay $9.52 per hour in 2024.

This hourly rate is for any hours worked up to 20 hours per week. As a student employee, once you surpass 20 hours per week, you will be eligible for the minimum wage rate of $11.20 per hour.

Being a student can be financially challenging, leading many students to pick up part-time jobs to make extra money while studying. Despite a student minimum wage rate, many South Dakota employers will not necessarily follow it and pay you equal to or more than the statewide minimum wage.

Many work-study programs are available at universities, which is a route many students go down. Still, coffee shop, cafe, bar, and restaurant jobs are commonly taken by students as they can work them into their class schedule.

South Dakota Under 20 Minimum Wage

If you are under 20 years old in South Dakota, federal law allows your employer to pay you as little as $4.25 per hour for your first 90 days of employment.

Once the 90-day period is over, you will be eligible to be paid the 2024 minimum wage of $11.20 per hour or potentially even more.

Fortunately for young workers, this is 90 calendar days and not 90 working days; therefore, it can be completed relatively quickly and within about three months.

South Dakota Tipped Minimum Wage

If you are a tipped employee in South Dakota (someone who receives regular tips as a part of their job) then you are eligible to be paid a minimum wage of $5.60 per hour (50% of the state minimum wage), with a tip credit of $5.60 per hour (50% of the state minimum wage), ensuring that you reach the statewide minimum wage regardless if you make enough hourly tips.

South Dakota Overtime Minimum Wage

Once you work over 40 hours a week, you are eligible to be paid an overtime rate of 1.5 times your hourly wage for every hour you work past 40. So, the overtime minimum wage in South Dakota is $16.80 per hour, 1.5 times the minimum wage of $11.20 per hour.

South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation

To contact the department, here are their details:

South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation
Division of Labor and Management
123 W. Missouri Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-3681

South Dakota Minimum Wage History

The table below shows the current rate and history of South Dakota’s minimum wage over the past 40+ years since 1983.

You can see when there were increases in the minimum wage, how much they were, and what percentage increase it represents each year.