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Best Trade Programs in South Dakota (2026)

Top 70 of 70 programs in South Dakota · Updated 2026

The best trade school programs in South Dakota, ranked by overall value. We scored 70 programs across South Dakota trade schools on earnings, job demand, and tuition ROI. The top programs average $42,099/yr in graduate earnings.

Programs in SD

Avg Earnings (Top 100)

$42,099/yr

Avg TSW Score

60/100

#1 Program

Nursing

Lake Area Technical College

Top Trade Programs in South Dakota

Top 70 programs by TSW Score. Click any row for full analysis.

#	Program	TSW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Nursing Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	78 73–78	$66,233/yr	48.3x
2	Electrical Installation Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	82 76–82	$60,565/yr	119.9x
3	Practical Nursing Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	72 71–72	$43,884/yr	56.1x
4	Practical Nursing Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	74 72–75	$42,160/yr	72.3x
5	Electrical Installation Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	69 64–70	$49,794/yr	46.0x
6	Nursing Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	75 71–75	$62,601/yr	39.9x
7	Construction Management Technology Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	66 66–66	$38,635/yr	27.8x
8	Construction Management Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	66 64–66	$37,485/yr	29.2x
9	Practical Nursing Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	68 68–69	$38,287/yr	49.9x
10	Criminal Justice Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	71 69–73	$49,560/yr	31.4x
11	Practical Nursing Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	72 68–73	$38,446/yr	67.9x
12	Welding & Metalworking Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	63 63–64	$44,614/yr	50.0x
13	Vehicle Repair Technology Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	64 63–65	$47,080/yr	39.7x
14	Nursing National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	71 66–72	$73,942/yr	22.6x
15	Criminal Justice Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	68 65–69	$41,230/yr	29.7x
16	Vehicle Repair Technology Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	62 61–63	$46,262/yr	34.6x
17	Allied Health Professions Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	68 65–68	$73,361/yr	46.9x
18	Welding & Metalworking Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	57 56–58	$43,436/yr	38.0x
19	Agricultural Business Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	66 62–69	$41,340/yr	34.6x
20	Vehicle Repair Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	60 60–61	$44,032/yr	30.8x
21	Business Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	68 62–70	$37,383/yr	28.4x
22	Allied Health Professions Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	63 61–63	$58,960/yr	39.4x
23	Vehicle Repair Technology Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	59 55–60	$38,031/yr	34.8x
24	Finance Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	65 61–68	$40,070/yr	28.2x
25	Practical Nursing National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	61 59–61	$37,827/yr	22.5x
26	Computer Networking Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	66 57–69	$46,959/yr	38.5x
27	Accounting Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	66 61–68	$44,850/yr	28.3x
28	Electrical Installation Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	60 58–61	$41,303/yr	24.8x
29	Allied Health Professions Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	62 59–62	$54,737/yr	38.5x
30	Electromechanical Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	61 59–63	$72,319/yr	47.1x
31	IT Management Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	65 58–67	$42,439/yr	26.7x
32	Welding & Metalworking Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	51 50–52	$37,717/yr	27.9x
33	Health Administration National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	64 58–66	$37,252/yr	20.7x
34	Construction Engineering Technology Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	64 60–66	$75,253/yr	47.6x
35	Medical Assisting Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	59 55–60	$35,932/yr	31.9x
36	Accounting Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	63 58–66	$40,475/yr	25.5x
37	Electromechanical Technology Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	59 57–60	$60,085/yr	43.7x
38	Agricultural Mechanization Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	58 57–58	$55,301/yr	32.3x
39	Business Administration National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	62 55–64	$33,364/yr	13.5x
40	Criminal Justice Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	58 51–60	$27,459/yr	29.8x
41	Dental Assisting Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	59 55–59	$36,631/yr	59.7x
42	Clinical Laboratory Science Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	57 56–58	$47,512/yr	34.4x
43	Environmental Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	56 55–57	$50,685/yr	32.7x
44	Industrial Production Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	56 55–57	$50,348/yr	32.5x
45	Computer Programming Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	61 54–65	$53,874/yr	34.2x
46	Medical Assisting Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	56 53–57	$35,074/yr	20.9x
47	Agricultural Production Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	55 51–57	$40,871/yr	31.9x
48	Electrical Engineering Technology Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	55 51–57	$51,832/yr	41.9x
49	Computer Networking Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	60 52–62	$40,418/yr	24.2x
50	Clinical Laboratory Science Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	55 53–55	$46,378/yr	28.0x
51	Business Administration Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	58 50–60	$24,503/yr	25.9x
52	Medical Assisting National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	54 50–55	$37,282/yr	10.2x
53	Marketing Southeast Technical College · Sioux Falls, SD	56 51–59	$39,617/yr	28.1x
54	Medical Assisting Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	53 46–54	$22,074/yr	43.7x
55	IT Management National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	56 46–59	$33,190/yr	15.1x
56	Medical Assisting National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	52 49–52	$30,234/yr	17.8x
57	Dental Assisting Western Dakota Technical College · Rapid City, SD	52 50–52	$32,951/yr	40.1x
58	Geography & Cartography Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	54 48–56	$41,879/yr	32.0x
59	Health Administration National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	54 47–57	$28,699/yr	11.1x
60	Accounting National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	55 47–58	$32,546/yr	13.8x
61	Allied Health Professions National American University-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	50 47–51	$41,564/yr	11.9x
62	Marketing Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	52 46–54	$32,043/yr	28.4x
63	Cosmetology The Salon Professional Academy · Rapid City, SD	46 42–46	$24,068/yr	—
64	Human Services Mitchell Technical College · Mitchell, SD	48 46–49	$35,070/yr	22.3x
65	Cosmetology Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	46 42–46	$20,420/yr	37.1x
66	Cosmetology Stewart School · Sioux Falls, SD	45 41–46	$22,684/yr	—
67	Cosmetology Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	43 39–44	$18,561/yr	—
68	Massage Therapy Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City · Rapid City, SD	44 39–44	$27,821/yr	—
69	Human Services Lake Area Technical College · Watertown, SD	42 38–42	$26,730/yr	22.1x
70	Liberal Arts & Humanities South Dakota State University · Brookings, SD	32 30–32	$20,704/yr	24.2x

About This Ranking

What we ranked

Best Trades in South Dakota ranks 70 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.

Data sources

Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.

How to read the table

Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.

Caveats & limitations

Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.

Methodology

This ranking includes the top 70 trade programs at South Dakota schools, drawn from 70 total programs with earnings data. Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100), which combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and tuition ROI.

Only in-state tuition is used for ROI calculations. Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best trade program in South Dakota?

By TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Nursing at Lake Area Technical College ranks #1 in South Dakota with a score of 78/100 and graduate earnings of $66,233/yr.

How many trade programs are in South Dakota?

Our database includes 70 trade programs across South Dakota schools with reported earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2025.