JobsSouth Dakota
LPN jobs in South Dakota
South Dakota employs 2,050 licensed practical nurses at a median of $52,750, which is $25.36 an hour. South Dakota licenses this role as a licensed practical nurse. It is the same licence, the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of work that California and Texas call vocational nursing.
Open roles
The live listings feed is not connected on this deployment yet. In the meantime these searches are already filtered to LPN and licensed practical nurse roles here:
What the job pays here
Half of South Dakota’s 2,050 licensed practical nurses earn more than $52,750 and half earn less. The bottom tenth are on $40,770 and the top tenth on $67,700, a spread of $26,930. Setting and shift matter more than the state does: nursing homes, clinics and home health pay very differently from one another.
Where in South Dakota
| Metro area | Employed | Median | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 990 | $53,520 | $64,770 |
| Rapid City, SD | 340 | $52,220 | $73,920 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
LPN jobs in South Dakota: common questions
- What does an LPN earn in South Dakota?
- The median is $52,750 a year, or $25.36 an hour, across the 2,050 licensed practical nurses employed in South Dakota. The bottom tenth are on $40,770 and the top tenth on $67,700. Figures are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- Is an LVN the same as an LPN in South Dakota?
- South Dakota licenses the role as a licensed practical nurse. It is the same licence California and Texas call vocational nursing, the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of work, so search for LPN jobs here rather than LVN.
- Which part of South Dakota pays licensed practical nurses the most?
- Of the 2 South Dakota metro areas the federal survey reports, Sioux Falls, SD-MN at $53,520, Rapid City, SD at $52,220. The table above lists them with headcount alongside the wage, because a high median in a metro employing a few hundred nurses is a thinner result than the same median in a large one.
- How do I get licensed to work in South Dakota?
- Complete a program approved by the South Dakota board of nursing, then pass the NCLEX-PN and apply to the board for a licence. Our program directory covers California and Texas in depth; for South Dakota the state board is the authority on which programs are approved.