Millwright salary in South Dakota
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Millwrights in South Dakota earn a median of $61,820 a year, or $29.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,600. Nationally the median is $65,700, so South Dakota pays 6% less than the U.S. overall and ranks 35th of 48.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.42/hr
- Jobs in South Dakota
- 240
- After cost of living
- $69,790
- Median hourly pay
- $29.72/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −6%
- Rank among states
- 35th of 48
Apprentice, journeyman and top millwright pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $50,790–$52,250$24.42–$25.12/hr | |
| Journeyman | $61,820$29.72/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,090–$74,600$30.81–$35.86/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median millwright wage in South Dakota rose 3.4%, from $59,790 in May 2021 to $61,820 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 13.4%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $59,790 | $28.75/hr |
| May 2022 | $57,170 | $27.49/hr |
| May 2023 | $59,700 | $28.70/hr |
| May 2024 | $60,410 | $29.04/hr |
| May 2025 | $61,820 | $29.72/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How South Dakota compares
- Millwrights are more concentrated in South Dakota than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.0 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $74,600, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
- Sioux Falls$64,090
- Sioux CityIA-NE-SD$62,450
Rural South Dakota
- East South Dakota$61,820
Other trades in South Dakota
Questions
- How much do millwrights make in South Dakota?
- Millwrights in South Dakota earn a median of $61,820 a year, or $29.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,600.
- How much do millwrights make an hour in South Dakota?
- The median hourly wage is $29.72. The middle half earn between $25.12 and $30.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice millwrights make in South Dakota?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.42 an hour ($50,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.12.
- Has millwright pay gone up in South Dakota?
- The median millwright wage in South Dakota rose 3.4%, from $59,790 in May 2021 to $61,820 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 13.4%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- How much does a journeyman millwright make in South Dakota?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,820 a year ($29.72 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $64,090–$74,600.
- Where in South Dakota do millwrights earn the most?
- Among South Dakota metro areas, Sioux Falls has the highest median at $64,090 a year, and Sioux City the lowest at $62,450.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-9044 (Millwrights), area code 46. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed millwrights and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (88.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures