How much does a AI / ML Engineer make in South Dakota?

The average AI / ML Engineer salary in South Dakota is around $220,000 per year. After federal taxes, FICA, and South Dakota state taxes, your estimated take-home pay is approximately $163,487 annually ($13,624/month).

What is the take-home pay for a AI / ML Engineer in South Dakota?

On a $220,000 salary in South Dakota, your take-home pay is approximately $163,487/year or $13,624/month. Federal tax: $41,704. State tax: $0. FICA: $0.00.

Is $220,000 a good AI / ML Engineer salary?

$220,000 is a strong salary for a AI / ML Engineer — above the national median. In South Dakota, demand for this role is active.

How do South Dakota taxes affect AI / ML Engineer salaries?

South Dakota levies state income tax on top of federal taxes. Your estimated state tax on $220,000 is $0. Your total effective tax rate is approximately 25.7%.

What are the career growth prospects for AI / ML Engineers?

BLS projects 23% growth through 2032 for computer/info-research scientists (which AI/ML engineers fall under) — among the fastest-growing tech roles. Frontier-lab demand uniquely strong — OpenAI / Anthropic / xAI / Mistral / DeepMind hiring at premium tiers $300K-$700K base alone for senior MLE, plus equity 1.5x-3x base.. Related roles include: Machine Learning Engineer, AI Research Scientist, Applied Scientist, Deep Learning Engineer, NLP Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, MLE, AI Engineer, Quant ML Engineer.

How can a AI / ML Engineer in South Dakota reduce their tax bill?

Maximize your 401(k) contribution ($24,500 in 2026) to reduce taxable income. An HSA ($4,400 single / $8,750 family) adds further pre-tax savings. These strategies can save thousands annually — use our calculator to see your exact savings.

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AI / ML Engineer Salary in South Dakota (2026)

The average AI / ML Engineer in South Dakota earns around $220,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $163,487/year ($13,624/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

Category	Amount
Annual Take-Home Pay	$163,487
Monthly Take-Home Pay	$13,624
Biweekly Take-Home Pay	$6,288
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year	$79/hr
Federal Tax	$41,704
State Tax	$0
FICA Taxes	$14,809
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary	25.69%

Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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AI / ML Engineer Salary Ranges in South Dakota

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$165,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$220,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$380,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close

South Dakota's AI/ML engineering market is anchored by the substantial Sioux Falls credit card hub (Citibank South Dakota credit fraud AI + Wells Fargo Sioux Falls + First Premier subprime credit AI + Capital One + Synchrony fraud detection ML), Sanford Health Sioux Falls (the substantial Sanford clinical AI + post-2024 generative AI clinical decision support + Sanford World Clinic), Avera Health Catholic clinical AI, Raven Industries Sioux Falls (post-2021 CNH Industrial precision ag autonomous machine vision + drone AI + the substantial Raven Autonomy + Slingshot Connected Farm), Daktronics Brookings (LED + transportation messaging AI), POET Sioux Falls ethanol biorefinery process AI, Ellsworth AFB cleared AI + post-2024 B-21 Raider AI/ML + Sanford Underground Research Facility SURF Lead physics ML, plus Dakota State University Madison NSA-CAE-CD + USD + SDSU + SD Mines AI pipelines.

Staff / Principal AI Engineer (Citi / Sanford / Raven)

$148,000–$258,000+ TC

Senior AI IC at Citi + Sanford + Raven · credit AI + clinical AI + precision ag AI

Senior AI Engineer (Citibank Credit AI)

$118,000–$185,000+ bonus

Citi Sioux Falls · credit card fraud AI + the substantial Citi credit risk ML

Senior AI Engineer (Sanford Clinical AI)

$115,000–$175,000+ bonus

Sanford Health · clinical AI + post-2024 generative clinical decision support

Senior AI Engineer (Raven CNH Autonomy)

$118,000–$182,000+ TC

Raven Industries · CNH Industrial precision ag + Raven Autonomy + drone + machine vision

Senior AI Engineer (Cleared / Ellsworth B-21)

$125,000–$195,000+ TC

Ellsworth AFB + post-2024 B-21 Raider · cleared AI/ML + sensor fusion · TS/SCI

Senior AI Engineer (First Premier / Capital One)

$105,000–$165,000+ bonus

First Premier + Capital One Sioux Falls · subprime + prime credit AI + fraud

Senior AI Engineer (Daktronics / POET)

$98,000–$152,000+ bonus

Daktronics + POET · transportation messaging AI + ethanol biorefinery process AI

AI/ML Manager

$148,000–$245,000+ TC

AI lead at Citi + Sanford + Raven + Daktronics · team lead

Mid-Level AI Engineer (3-6 yrs)

$92,000–$138,000

Functional AI IC at SD employers · transitioning to senior band

Junior AI Engineer (0-3 yrs)

$72,000–$95,000

Dakota State + USD + SDSU + SD Mines AI pipeline · entry band

Worth knowing: Raven Industries CNH Industrial precision ag autonomy + Citibank credit card fraud AI is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state precision ag + credit AI anchor and a feature most national AI/ML surveys understate for SD. Raven Industries Sioux Falls (post-2021 CNH Industrial $2.1B Raven acquisition + the substantial Raven precision ag + the substantial Raven Autonomy autonomous tractor + the substantial Raven Slingshot Connected Farm + the substantial Raven drone + the substantial post-2024 Raven machine vision + the substantial Raven OmniRow + Raven Hawkeye precision spray + the substantial Raven post-2024 CNH Industrial autonomy roadmap) supports substantial SD precision ag AI. Senior Raven AI engineers clear $118-182K+ TC. Citibank South Dakota credit fraud AI (the substantial Citi Sioux Falls credit card fraud detection ML + the substantial Citi credit risk AI + the substantial Citi post-2020 generative AI credit underwriting) + the substantial Sioux Falls credit card hub fraud + risk AI at Wells Fargo + First Premier + Capital One + HSBC + Synchrony. Sanford Health clinical AI + post-2024 generative AI clinical decision support + Avera Catholic + Daktronics + POET + Ellsworth AFB + post-2024 B-21 Raider cleared AI/ML + Sanford Underground Research Facility SURF Lead DUNE + LZ dark matter physics ML. SD 0% state income tax + SD RTW since 1946 anchor the SD AI proposition.

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AI / ML Engineer Salary in Other States

AI / ML Engineer Salary in California →AI / ML Engineer Salary in Texas →AI / ML Engineer Salary in New York →AI / ML Engineer Salary in Florida →AI / ML Engineer Salary in Washington →$220,000 salary in South Dakota →

More on South Dakota

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Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for South Dakota in 2026.

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