Trades

HVAC Technician Salary in South Dakota (2026)

The average HVAC Technician in South Dakota earns around $58,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $48,783/year ($4,065/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$48,783
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,065
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,876
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$23/hr
Federal Tax
$4,780
State Tax
$0
FICA Taxes
$4,437
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

15.89%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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HVAC Technician Salary Ranges in South Dakota

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$44,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$66,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$130,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all HVAC Technicians earn the same — not even close

South Dakota's HVAC technician market is anchored by the Sioux Falls metro residential + commercial HVAC cluster (Sioux Falls + Brandon + Tea + the substantial Sioux Falls Citi + Wells Fargo credit card operations data center cooling + the substantial Sanford + Avera Health + Smithfield + POET corporate + the substantial extreme cold winter + summer humid + the substantial post-2020 trust + tax-refugee migration luxury residential), Rapid City HVAC (the substantial Ellsworth AFB + Monument Health + the substantial Black Hills + the substantial Black Hills luxury residential + post-2020 second-home migration), Aberdeen + Brookings HVAC (the substantial 3M Brookings + SDSU + Daktronics + Aberdeen rural), Pierre + Mitchell + Watertown + Yankton + Vermillion HVAC, plus substantial SD industrial HVAC + chiller + cleanroom specialty at Citi + Wells Fargo Sioux Falls data center cooling (the substantial Sioux Falls credit card data center cluster + the substantial Citi + Wells Fargo + Capital One + First Premier data center + the substantial CRAC + CRAH + chilled water + the substantial Sioux Falls data center post-2020 expansion) + Ellsworth AFB Rapid City (~7.5K personnel + the substantial 28th Bomb Wing B-1B Lancer + the substantial post-2027 B-21 Raider beddown + the substantial Ellsworth AFB cleared cleanroom HVAC + cleared facility) + Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls (~3K + the substantial Smithfield pork processing GMP + sanitary cleanroom) + POET ethanol (the substantial POET ~30 plants + the substantial corn-to-ethanol fermentation HVAC) + 3M Brookings (the substantial 3M industrial cleanroom) + the substantial Sanford + Avera + Monument hospital HVAC + the substantial Black Hills resort luxury residential.

Senior Commercial HVAC Tech (NATE)

$55,000–$85,000+ OT

Senior commercial tech · NATE Master + EPA 608 Universal · Sioux Falls + Rapid City + Aberdeen

Data Center HVAC Specialist (Sioux Falls)

$65,000–$105,000+ OT

Citi + Wells Fargo + Capital One + First Premier Sioux Falls data center cooling · CRAC + CRAH + chilled water

Aerospace Cleared HVAC (Ellsworth AFB)

$68,000–$108,000+ OT

Ellsworth AFB · 28th Bomb Wing B-1B + post-2027 B-21 Raider cleared facility + ground support + aerospace cleanroom

Food Processing HVAC (Smithfield / POET)

$55,000–$88,000+ OT

Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls pork processing + POET ethanol corn fermentation GMP + sanitary cleanroom

VRF / Heat Pump Specialist

$58,000–$88,000+ OT

VRF + heat pump specialty · commercial + multifamily + IRA 25C cold-climate heat pump + Black Hills Electric rebate

HVAC Controls Technician (BACnet)

$55,000–$85,000+

BACnet + Tridium Niagara + building automation · commercial + industrial + hospital + data center + Ellsworth

Senior Residential HVAC Tech

$45,000–$68,000+ OT

Senior residential service tech · Sioux Falls + Rapid City · extreme cold + summer humid

Refrigeration Technician (Commercial)

$48,000–$78,000+ OT

Supermarket + restaurant + ice plant + cold storage commercial refrigeration · EPA 608 + ammonia

Mid-Career HVAC Tech (3-6 yrs)

$38,000–$52,000+ OT

Mid-career tech transitioning to NATE + EPA 608 Universal · SD HVAC service shops

Entry Helper / Apprentice

$28,000–$40,000+ OT

Entry helper apprentice · Southeast Tech + Western Dakota Tech + Lake Area Tech + UA Local 565 Sioux Falls pipeline

Worth knowing: South Dakota's Citi + Wells Fargo Sioux Falls data center cooling + Ellsworth AFB B-1B + future B-21 cleared facility + Smithfield + POET food + ethanol processing specialty is a distinctive SD HVAC feature most national HVAC surveys understate. SD's extreme climate (Sioux Falls summer high ~85°F + winter low ~10°F + Sioux Falls humid summer + the substantial SD polar vortex -30°F+ extreme + the substantial Rapid City Black Hills variable + the substantial SD plains winter wind + the substantial SD tornado season) drives substantial residential + commercial HVAC service. Sioux Falls data center cooling (Citi N.A. South Dakota ~3K Citi Sioux Falls employees + Wells Fargo Sioux Falls ~5K + the substantial Sioux Falls credit card data center cluster + Capital One + First Premier Bankcard + the substantial Sioux Falls credit card post-1981 Marquette ruling + the substantial Sioux Falls data center CRAC + CRAH + chilled water + the substantial Sioux Falls data center post-2020 expansion + the substantial Sioux Falls credit card cluster as the country's substantial #1 US credit card jurisdiction by issuance) supports specialized data center HVAC tech work — Sioux Falls data center HVAC specialists clear $65-105K with CRAC + CRAH + chilled water expertise. Ellsworth AFB Rapid City (~7.5K personnel + the substantial 28th Bomb Wing B-1B Lancer + the substantial 89th Attack Squadron + the substantial post-2027 B-21 Raider beddown + the substantial Ellsworth AFB selected as one of two B-21 main operating bases + the substantial Ellsworth AFB $3B+ B-21 infrastructure modernization + the substantial Ellsworth AFB cleared cleanroom HVAC + cleared facility) supports specialized aerospace cleared HVAC work — Ellsworth AFB cleared HVAC specialists clear $68-108K + overtime with cleared facility access. Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls (~3K + the substantial Smithfield pork processing largest US pork plant + the substantial Smithfield 2020 COVID hotspot reform + GMP + sanitary cleanroom) + POET LLC (the substantial POET ~30 ethanol plants + the substantial POET ~3B gallons/yr largest US ethanol producer + the substantial POET corn-to-ethanol fermentation HVAC + GMP) support specialized food + ethanol processing HVAC tech work. The 2025-2026 R-454B refrigerant transition + IRA 25C cold-climate heat pump credit + Black Hills Electric + Northern Plains Power heat pump rebate drive sustained heat-pump installation. NATE + EPA 608 Universal + commercial chiller cert + cleared facility cert + cleanroom GMP cert + data center cert drive 25-50% wage premium. Southeast Tech + Western Dakota Tech + Lake Area Tech + Mitchell Tech + UA Local 565 Sioux Falls Plumbers Pipefitters + UA Local 5 Twin Cities cross-border pipeline. SD 0% income tax + SD 4.5% state sales tax + SD NO estate tax + SD IS a Right-to-Work state (signed 1946) + SDRS public pension anchor the SD HVAC proposition.

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