South Dakota Minimum Wage Calculator 2026

South Dakota's minimum wage is $11.85 an hour, well above the federal floor of $7.25 that still governs some states. The state raised its minimum through a 2014 ballot measure and indexes it to inflation each year, so the rate rises with the cost of living rather than staying frozen for long stretches. Because South Dakota's figure sits above the federal minimum, employers in the state pay the higher state rate, and the $7.25 federal number functions mainly as a comparison point rather than a wage anyone earns under South Dakota law.

Tipped workers run on a different track. South Dakota sets the tipped minimum at exactly half the regular minimum, currently $5.925 an hour, and allows employers to take a tip credit for the rest. The cash wage plus tips must add up to at least the full $11.85 minimum for every hour worked; if a tipped employee falls short in a pay period, the employer must make up the difference. The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation enforces these rules and handles wage complaints. No South Dakota city or county has its own minimum wage, so the statewide rate applies everywhere in the state.