Clinical Psychologist Salary in South Dakota: What Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Earn
Clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota had a median annual wage of $80,130 in May 2025, 20% below the national median of $100,580.
The state ranks 39th of the 48 jurisdictions that publish a median for the occupation, and its employment estimate is small, 120 psychologists, so this page quotes the median, the hourly median of $38.52, and the ranks, and reads the percentile tails only in the table.
Clinical & counseling psychologists · SOC 19-3033
$80,130/yr
−20% vs. national $100,580
$38.52/hr median
Which psychologists this covers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state and national estimates — South Dakota, SOCs 19-3033.
Retrieved 2026-09-24 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
South Dakota vs. the national figure
Each occupation is compared with its own national median from the same May 2025 release, and the national clinical psychologist salary page gives the national distribution.
Ranks count only the jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes that occupation’s figure.
Differences are whole percentages of the national figure, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
By estimated employment, South Dakota ranks 44th of 46 for clinical and counseling psychologists.
A median $20,450 below national
The South Dakota median of $80,130 is $20,450 below the national median of $100,580 for clinical and counseling psychologists, a 20% gap.
The hourly median tells the same story: $38.52 against $48.36 nationally, $9.84 less per hour.
Among the 48 jurisdictions where BLS publishes a median for this occupation, South Dakota ranks 39th, and the hourly median also ranks 39th.
The state's reported employment of 120 ranks 44th of the 46 jurisdictions that publish both a median and an employment estimate for the occupation — a small reported workforce, which is why this page reads the distribution at the median only.
Where the South Dakota median sits in the national distribution
The South Dakota median of $80,130 sits between the national 25th percentile of $73,210 and the national median of $100,580 — above the level where the national middle half begins, but $20,450 short of the national midpoint.
Nationally, the middle half of the occupation spans $61,990, from $73,210 to $135,200.
This page reads the South Dakota distribution at the median only.
The occupation's reported employment estimate here is small, 120, so the state's percentile tails are not analysed; the table under this section shows them, and the section below explains the caveat.
What this figure covers: Clinical and counseling psychologists only.
School psychologists and "psychologists, all other" (SOC 19-3039) are separate occupations and are not in this figure.
OEWS counts wage and salary workers, so psychologists in their own private practice are not counted.
⚠️ BLS's employment estimate for this occupation in South Dakota is 120 — under 500, so these percentiles rest on a small sample.
Read the median; treat the tails with caution.
Reading an offer against these figures
Compare an offer with both medians the page prints.
An offer at $80,130 matches the South Dakota median; an offer at $100,580 matches the national median but sits $20,450 above the state figure.
For an hourly posting, $38.52 is the South Dakota hourly median and $48.36 the national one, so a rate between the two sits above the state middle and below the national one.
Remember what the row describes: BLS's clinical and counseling psychologists employed for wages, not every title South Dakota licenses.
An offer above $100,580 clears the national median; this page does not place it in the South Dakota distribution, because the state's percentile tails are not analysed here.
What this figure does and does not describe
This row is the BLS occupation for clinical and counseling psychologists, not a figure for one South Dakota licence.
South Dakota issues no master's-level psychology licence.
The state licenses psychologists at the doctoral level and also issues a provisional licence for applicants completing the year of supervised postdoctoral practice.
The row is not split by licence stage in any case, and it is not a count of licence holders — BLS assigns workers to occupations by the duties they perform, not by the licence they hold.
Whatever credential a posting names, compare its pay with this row knowing that it describes the whole occupation as BLS counts it.
The state's licensure pages linked under this section own the licence rules.
What each licence requires in South Dakota is summarized in psychologist licensure in South Dakota.
Before you weigh an offer, check what licence or certification the posting requires — browse clinical psychologist jobs in South Dakota.
Why the analysis stops at the median
South Dakota's row for clinical and counseling psychologists carries a small reported workforce: BLS counts 120 in the occupation.
That is why this page quotes the median, the hourly median and the ranks, and stops there.
The percentile table under the distribution section still renders every figure BLS publishes, and the page carries an amber small-sample note, but with a reported count this small the text does not analyse the 10th, 25th, 75th or 90th percentiles or build any statement on them.
The median, not the tails, is the figure to carry away from this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do clinical psychologists make in South Dakota?
BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $80,130 for clinical and counseling psychologists in South Dakota, or $38.52 an hour.
That is 20% below the national median of $100,580.
The state's employment estimate is small, 120, so the figure to compare an offer with is the median, not the percentile tails.
How many clinical and counseling psychologists work in South Dakota?
BLS estimates 120 clinical and counseling psychologists employed in South Dakota in May 2025, which ranks 44th of the 46 jurisdictions where BLS publishes both a median and an employment estimate for the occupation.
That is a count of people in jobs during the survey period — not of open positions, and not a count of licence holders — and it covers only this one occupation.
Where does South Dakota rank among jurisdictions publishing a psychologist median?
Among the 48 jurisdictions where BLS publishes a median for clinical and counseling psychologists, South Dakota ranks 39th.
The hourly median of $38.52 also ranks 39th.
A rank compares the published figures only; the rows carry nothing that explains why one place's median differs from another's.
What do the highest-earning psychologists in South Dakota make?
BLS publishes a 90th percentile for the occupation, and the table under the distribution section shows it, but with a reported workforce of 120 the page quotes no tail figure in its analysis and builds no statement on it.
For scale, the national 90th percentile is $180,960 — the South Dakota figure is not one this page interprets.
More South Dakota Clinical Psychologist Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — South Dakota, SOC 19-3033 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 19-3033 (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOCs 19-3033, retrieved 2026-09-24.
Page last updated 2026-09-29.