How to become an electrician in South Dakota

The path in South Dakota, step by step

South Dakota licenses electrical work at the state level through the South Dakota Electrical Commission. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get licensed as an apprentice and work 8,000 hours under a contractor.
2. Apply and pass the journeyman exam.
3. Work 4,000 more hours as a journeyman, including 2,000 commercial hours.
4. Apply for and pass the electrical contractor exam.
5. File the bond application with the $10,000 undertaking and proof of liability insurance.
6. Renew every two years with 16 hours of continuing education.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: electrical license in South Dakota.

Finding an apprenticeship in South Dakota

South Dakota has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the South Dakota Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most electricians learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship. Each year brings about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction.

License levels and exams in South Dakota

The license to aim for: Electrical Contractor license.

Trade exam. Yes. You must pass the commission's exam for your license class. Tests are on the 2023 NEC.

Keeping it. Every two years. You need 16 hours of continuing education, at least 8 on the National Electrical Code, by renewal or June 30.

Coming from another state. Reciprocal agreements exist with some states. You must have earned the license there by exam and held it active for at least one year.

What electricians earn in South Dakota

The median electrician in South Dakota earned $29.51 an hour in May 2025, 36th of 51 states, with 2,980 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in South Dakota earned under $23.87 an hour and a tenth under $21.31. At the top, a quarter earned over $34.83 and a tenth over $38.49.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: electrician salary in South Dakota.

Jobs ahead in South Dakota

South Dakota's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 2,520 in 2022 to 2,940 in 2032, a change of 16.7%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 280 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 16.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 13th of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group electricians.

Starting your own electrician business in South Dakota

To contract on your own in South Dakota, the license is the Electrical Contractor license.

Insurance. Contractors and Class B electricians need public liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury.

Bond. $10,000 undertaking (bond) filed with the commission before licensing.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the South Dakota median of $29.51 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $122.41 per billable hour. Try your own in the electrician labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start an electrical business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.