Wind · South Dakota
South Dakota Wind jobs: 1,831 employed (2024)
Wind Jobs in South Dakota (2024)
1,831
Rank #18 of 51
1.38% of U.S.
South Dakota-adjusted median
$72,975
Across 2 tracked wind roles, BEA RPP × 0.90.
Where South Dakota’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors
| Sector | Jobs (2024) | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | 7,898 | #45 |
| Wind | 1,831 | #18 |
| Solar | 743 | #46 |
| Storage & Grid | 340 | #43 |
| Electric Vehicles | 327 | #40 |
| Clean Fuels | 79 | #43 |
| Hydropower | 65 | #48 |
South Dakota vs. the wind leader, median, and bottom
1st · Texas
28,124
18. South Dakota
1,831
25th · Arizona
1,489
51st · Delaware
98
Wind roles and pay in South Dakota
| Role | SOC | National median | South Dakota-adjusted | Job Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind Energy Engineer | 17-2199.10 | $100,940 | $90,543 | 4 |
| Wind Turbine Service Technician | 49-9081.00 | $61,770 | $55,408 | 3 |
Employer-reported hiring difficulty in South Dakota
Did not hire
49.1%
Somewhat difficult hiring
29.0%
Very difficult hiring
14.7%
Not at all difficult hiring
7.2%
NAICS industry mix for South Dakota clean-energy jobs
Construction
9,080
Manufacturing
5,860
Trade
5,444
Other Services
3,922
Utilities
2,008
Professional Services
1,638
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows
955
Agriculture and Forestry
622
Mining and Extraction
65
South Dakota’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type
Wind
1,831
Solar
743
Other electricity
632
Natural gas electricity
244
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power
178
Coal electricity
84
Traditional hydropower
65
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics
32
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity
21
Geothermal electricity
20
Full USEER workbook line items for South Dakota
Fuels
| Fuels total | 3,360 |
| Corn ethanol | 1,652 |
| Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels) | 1,214 |
| Other fuels | 128 |
| Other ethanol and non-woody biomass | 115 |
| Natural gas fuels | 84 |
| Woody biomass | 80 |
| Other biofuels | 79 |
| Nuclear fuels | 5 |
| Coal fuels | 3 |
Electric Power Generation
| Electric power generation total | 3,851 |
| Wind | 1,831 |
| Solar | 743 |
| Other electricity | 632 |
| Natural gas electricity | 244 |
| Bioenergy/Combined heat and power | 178 |
| Coal electricity | 84 |
| Traditional hydropower | 65 |
| Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics | 32 |
| Oil and other fossil fuel electricity | 21 |
| Geothermal electricity | 20 |
Transmission, Distribution & Storage
| Transmission, distribution, and storage total | 4,631 |
| Traditional transmission and distribution | 3,523 |
| Other (including commodity flows) | 565 |
| Storage | 340 |
| Other grid modernization | 78 |
| Smart grid | 63 |
| Micro grid | 61 |
Energy Efficiency
| Energy efficiency total | 7,898 |
| Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component | 2,194 |
| High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling | 2,109 |
| Other | 1,639 |
| Certified and efficient lighting | 1,152 |
| Advanced materials | 803 |
Motor Vehicles
| Motor vehicle total | 9,855 |
| Gasoline and diesel vehicles | 7,318 |
| Other vehicles | 807 |
| Motor vehicle commodity flows | 562 |
| Hybrid electric vehicles | 503 |
| Battery electric vehicles | 327 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | 230 |
| Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles | 57 |
| Natural gas vehicles | 51 |
By NAICS Industry
| Construction | 9,080 |
| Manufacturing | 5,860 |
| Trade | 5,444 |
| Other Services | 3,922 |
| Utilities | 2,008 |
| Professional Services | 1,638 |
| Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows | 955 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 622 |
| Mining and Extraction | 65 |
Skill profile for wind roles
Top skills
Critical Thinking3.75
Reading Comprehension3.50
Complex Problem Solving3.32
Judgment and Decision Making3.31
Operations Monitoring3.31
Active Listening3.25
Speaking3.25
Systems Analysis3.25
Knowledge
Engineering and Technology4.25
Computers and Electronics4.08
English Language4.06
Mechanical3.92
Mathematics3.83
Physics3.65
Design3.48
Administration and Management3.44
Core abilities
Deductive Reasoning3.75
Problem Sensitivity3.69
Oral Comprehension3.57
Inductive Reasoning3.50
Near Vision3.50
Written Comprehension3.50
Oral Expression3.32
Written Expression3.19
Representative tasks for wind workers
- Inspect or repair fiberglass turbine blades. (Supplemental)
- Collect turbine data for testing or research and analysis. (Core)
- Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems. (Supplemental)
- Write reports to document wind farm collector system test results. (Supplemental)
- Climb wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment. (Core)
- Perform root cause analysis on wind turbine tower component failures. (Supplemental)
- Test wind turbine equipment to determine effects of stress or fatigue. (Supplemental)
- Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems. (Core)
- Oversee the work activities of wind farm consultants or subcontractors. (Supplemental)
- Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations. (Core)
- Provide engineering technical support to designers of prototype wind turbines. (Supplemental)
- Assist in assembly of individual wind generators or construction of wind farms. (Supplemental)
Software and tools used in wind roles
Microsoft PowerPoint 🔥
Microsoft Project 🔥
Structured query language SQL 🔥
Microsoft Word 🔥
Microsoft Excel 🔥
Microsoft Office software 🔥
Microsoft Outlook 🔥
Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥
Python 🔥
Bentley MicroStation 🔥
Git 🔥
Microsoft SQL Server 🔥
C# 🔥
Microsoft Visio 🔥
C++ 🔥
SAP software 🔥
Microsoft Visual Basic 🔥
JUnit 🔥
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks 🔥
Linux 🔥
Microsoft Visual Studio 🔥
ESRI ArcGIS software 🔥
Tableau 🔥
Microsoft .NET Framework 🔥
Education & training paths into wind
IM
Job-Related Professional Certification2.8%
Apprenticeship2.4%
OJ
On-the-Job Training12.5%
PT
On-Site or In-Plant Training11.8%
Required Level of Education
Required Level of Education18.2%
Related Work Experience (Years)
Related Work Experience12.5%