Recruiting services in Sioux Falls, SD
A full search for an employer hiring in Sioux Falls, run end to end on your behalf and priced per search rather than as a percentage of salary. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340, and the tier is set by the seniority of the role, never by what the role pays.
Permanent hires, any industry, anywhere in South Dakota. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days and typically run 30 to 50% below what a contingency recruiter charges for the same hire. Both figures are typical rather than guaranteed: a senior title at a modest salary can cost more through a full search, and the pricing form says so when the arithmetic goes that way. Every placement carries a 45 day replacement guarantee at 50% off.
Looking for a staffing agency in Sioux Falls?
That search usually means one of two different things, and they are not interchangeable. Temporary staffing puts someone in a seat for a while on an agency payroll. A permanent search finds a person who joins your payroll and stays. If what you need is temporary cover, a staffing agency is the right call and this is not it.
For a permanent hire the real comparison is against a contingency recruiter. Contingency bills 20 to 30% of first year salary, several firms often work the same role at once, and nobody owns the outcome. A full search is one owner, a flat fee set by seniority, and a shortlist rather than a stream of forwarded resumes.
Sioux Falls is covered the same way every other market is. Nothing about the fee moves with the city, so the figures below are here to price the role and read the market, not to change what the search costs.
Every role we search for in Sioux Falls
Each one carries the wage band employers in this metro actually pay, what Sioux Falls residents in that field earn, and what the search costs.
Architecture and engineering
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
- Architectural and Civil Drafters
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Computer Hardware Engineers
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical Engineers
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Environmental Engineers
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Landscape Architects
- Mechanical Engineers
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Surveyors
Business and financial operations
- Accountants and Auditors
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
- Compliance Officers
- Cost Estimators
- Credit Analysts
- Financial and Investment Analysts
- Financial Examiners
- Financial Risk Specialists
- Fundraisers
- Human Resources Specialists
- Insurance Underwriters
- Labor Relations Specialists
- Loan Officers
- Logisticians
- Management Analysts
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
- Personal Financial Advisors
- Project Management Specialists
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents
- Tax Preparers
- Training and Development Specialists
Computer and mathematical
- Computer Network Architects
- Computer Network Support Specialists
- Computer Occupations, All Other
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Computer User Support Specialists
- Data Scientists
- Database Administrators
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Software Developers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Web Developers
Management
- Administrative Services Managers
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Chief Executives
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Construction Managers
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
- Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
- Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
- Facilities Managers
- Financial Managers
- Food Service Managers
- General and Operations Managers
- Human Resources Managers
- Industrial Production Managers
- Lodging Managers
- Managers, All Other
- Marketing Managers
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Natural Sciences Managers
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers
- Sales Managers
- Social and Community Service Managers
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
Office and administrative support
- Bill and Account Collectors
- Billing and Posting Clerks
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
- Brokerage Clerks
- Cargo and Freight Agents
- Couriers and Messengers
- Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
- Customer Service Representatives
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
- Information and Record Clerks, All Other
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
- Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Loan Interviewers and Clerks
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- Office Clerks, General
- Order Clerks
- Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
- Postal Service Clerks
- Postal Service Mail Carriers
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
- Procurement Clerks
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
- Public Safety Telecommunicators
- Receptionists and Information Clerks
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks
- Tellers
- Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping
Sales and related
- Advertising Sales Agents
- Cashiers
- Counter and Rental Clerks
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
- Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers
- Insurance Sales Agents
- Parts Salespersons
- Real Estate Sales Agents
- Retail Salespersons
- Sales Engineers
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Travel Agents
What does an employer in Sioux Falls actually pay?
Whatever the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area pays, because that is the level at which wages are published. The table below is place of work: it is what employers located in that metropolitan area report paying, not what anyone living in Sioux Falls happens to take home.
What about management roles in Sioux Falls?
11,760 Sioux Falls residents work in management occupations and earn a median of $73,654 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023). BLS publishes wages for 23 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is chief executives, at an annual mean of $353,870 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $353,870 |
| Financial Managers | $180,080 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $169,090 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,240 |
| Marketing Managers | $158,260 |
| General and Operations Managers | $155,870 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $155,630 |
| Sales Managers | $146,560 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 23 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in management occupations
- 11,760
- Their median annual earnings
- $73,654
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about business and financial operations roles in Sioux Falls?
6,858 Sioux Falls residents work in business and financial operations occupations and earn a median of $65,294 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023). BLS publishes wages for 23 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is personal financial advisors, at an annual mean of $147,780 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | $147,780 |
| Financial and Investment Analysts | $124,150 |
| Financial Examiners | $106,730 |
| Insurance Underwriters | $99,740 |
| Financial Risk Specialists | $99,110 |
| Management Analysts | $91,410 |
| Loan Officers | $90,800 |
| Project Management Specialists | $89,940 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 23 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in business and financial operations occupations
- 6,858
- Their median annual earnings
- $65,294
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about computer and mathematical roles in Sioux Falls?
3,726 Sioux Falls residents work in computer and mathematical occupations and earn a median of $78,686 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023). BLS publishes wages for 11 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is computer network architects, at an annual mean of $133,910 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Computer Network Architects | $133,910 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $114,920 |
| Software Developers | $106,340 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $105,960 |
| Data Scientists | $104,660 |
| Database Administrators | $87,140 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $80,190 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $74,400 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 11 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in computer and mathematical occupations
- 3,726
- Their median annual earnings
- $78,686
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about architecture and engineering roles in Sioux Falls?
1,601 Sioux Falls residents work in architecture and engineering occupations and earn a median of $80,054 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023). BLS publishes wages for 16 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is architects, except landscape and naval, at an annual mean of $107,780 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | $107,780 |
| Environmental Engineers | $106,470 |
| Civil Engineers | $102,400 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $101,070 |
| Industrial Engineers | $97,750 |
| Electrical Engineers | $97,670 |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $94,740 |
| Mechanical Engineers | $92,860 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 16 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in architecture and engineering occupations
- 1,601
- Their median annual earnings
- $80,054
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about legal roles in Sioux Falls?
800 Sioux Falls residents work in legal occupations and earn a median of $87,941 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023), and the best paid of any group here. BLS publishes wages for 3 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is lawyers, at an annual mean of $138,000 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Lawyers | $138,000 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $64,370 |
| Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $61,460 |
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in legal occupations
- 800
- Their median annual earnings
- $87,941
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about sales and related roles in Sioux Falls?
10,665 Sioux Falls residents work in sales and related occupations and earn a median of $40,578 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023), the lowest paid of any group here. BLS publishes wages for 15 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is sales engineers, at an annual mean of $119,790 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineers | $119,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | $113,900 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $111,870 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | $90,480 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $82,650 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $72,610 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $67,900 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $67,790 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 15 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in sales and related occupations
- 10,665
- Their median annual earnings
- $40,578
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
What about office and administrative support roles in Sioux Falls?
12,120 Sioux Falls residents work in office and administrative support occupations and earn a median of $41,836 (Census ACS 5-year, 2023), the largest group in the city. BLS publishes wages for 36 occupations in this group across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, and the highest of those is first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, at an annual mean of $68,550 paid by employers in that area (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Place of work
What employers pay
| Role | Annual mean |
|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $68,550 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators | $64,800 |
| Cargo and Freight Agents | $64,660 |
| Postal Service Mail Carriers | $63,770 |
| Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | $62,250 |
| Brokerage Clerks | $58,700 |
| Postal Service Clerks | $57,930 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $57,420 |
Showing the 8 highest-paid of 36 occupations in this group with a published figure for this area.
Place of residence
What Sioux Falls residents earn
- Sioux Falls residents working in office and administrative support occupations
- 12,120
- Their median annual earnings
- $41,836
Residents of Sioux Falls working in this occupation group. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. This is where people live, not where they work, so it is not comparable to the wage figures beside it.
Why are the two numbers on this page so different?
They count different people. The wage figures count jobs sitting inside the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area, whoever fills them. The earnings figures count people who live in Sioux Falls, wherever they commute to.
The clearest case here is legal. Sioux Falls residents in those roles report a median of $87,941, against a median of $60,060 across the published wages for that group in this metro, a difference of about $27,881. Residents out-earning the local wage usually means they are commuting out to better-paying employers, so a Sioux Falls offer in that group is competing with a drive rather than with the firm down the road.
It runs the other way in management, where published wages in this metro run to a median of $119,490 but Sioux Falls residents in that group report a median of $73,654. Employers here are drawing that talent from outside the city line.
Across the groups we cover, Sioux Falls earnings run from $40,578 in sales and related to $87,941 in legal, a spread of 2.2x. A band set from the wrong end of that range is the most common reason a search here stalls.
Sioux Falls is the 1st largest of the 1 South Dakota city we publish data for, at 213,748 people, spanning 2 counties.
What does a search cost here?
The same as anywhere. Location does not move the fee and neither does salary. Tier is set by the seniority of the role, and across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median wage in this metro is $282,170 for chief executives. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $56,434 to $84,651 on the first year salary alone.
Price a Sioux Falls search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.