South Dakota · Finance Director Salary
Director of Finance Salary in South Dakota
What finance directors earn in South Dakota — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS South Dakota wage ($78,880) → director of finance role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Director of Finance make in South Dakota?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 South Dakota wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The director of finance figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Director of Finance · estimated median
$193,300
Modeled median for a director of finance in South Dakota, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your paySouth Dakota · verified BLS median
$78,880
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in South Dakota — the base every estimate here is built on.
All South Dakota payState rank (verified)
#31 of 51
Where South Dakota ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in South Dakota — not for finance directors, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,190 | $29.42/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $66,970 | $32.20/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $78,880 | $37.92/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $97,920 | $47.08/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $115,470 | $55.51/hr | Top earners |
The South Dakota figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $78,880 median across 5,820 accountants and auditors employed in South Dakota.
Every director of finance figure on this page — $193,300 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (2.45×), because BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage.
Comparison
Director of Finance pay in South Dakota vs. national
South Dakota's measured accountant median runs -5.7% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Director of Finance — South Dakota
estimated median
$193,300
+145.1%Director of Finance — national
estimated median
$205,000
+159.9%All accountants — South Dakota
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$78,880
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+6.1%
The director of finance estimate sits +145.1% above the verified South Dakota accountant median and -5.7% versus the national director of finance estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
South Dakota market
What shapes director of finance pay in South Dakota
South Dakota levies no state income tax and hosts a notable finance and credit-card banking cluster in Sioux Falls, alongside agriculture and healthcare. A low cost of living combined with no income tax gives the state strong buying-power-adjusted pay.
The director of finance directs strategy, FP&A, and accounting leadership — budgeting, forecasting, business partnering, and capital planning. The orientation is forward-looking where a controller’s is backward-looking, and it is the most common last stop before the CFO seat.
Scope varies widely by company size, so local pay tracks the corporate headquarters and mid-market employer base in a market more than it tracks the public-accounting firm presence. Markets with more company headquarters carry more of these seats, and more of the larger-scope versions of them.
Role ladder
Director of Finance vs. other roles in South Dakota
Each level's multiplier applied to South Dakota's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · South Dakota
On South Dakota's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $80,500 (Senior Accountant) to $307,600 (Chief Financial Officer). Director of Finance sits at $193,300.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $307,600 | ||
| Director of Finance | $193,300 | ||
| Controller | $153,800 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $112,000 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $80,500 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Director of Finance pay by experience in South Dakota
South Dakota's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the director of finance level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $166,200 | $186,100 |
| 2–4 years | $185,500 | $207,800 |
| 5–7 years | $208,700 | $233,700 |
| 8–12 years | $231,900 | $259,700 |
| 13–20 years | $255,100 | $285,700 |
| 20+ years | $274,400 | $307,300 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Director of Finance pay by employer type in South Dakota
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $216,400 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $202,900 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $189,400 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $177,800 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $201,000 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Director of Finance pay across South Dakota metros
BLS measures 2 metro areas for accountants and auditors in South Dakota. The measured median is verified; the director of finance column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Director of Finance medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls | $80,920 | $198,300 |
| Rapid City | $79,270 | $194,200 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The director of finance column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like South Dakota
Ranked immediately around South Dakota (#31 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a director of finance weighing a move.
Compare states
Director of Finance pay in other states
Where finance directors are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — South Dakota ranks #31 of 51.
Director of Finance salary in South Dakota — FAQ
- How much does a Director of Finance make in South Dakota?
- A director of finance in South Dakota earns an estimated $193,300 per year, typically ranging from $164,100 to $240,000+. That is -5.7% versus the national director of finance estimate of $205,000. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified South Dakota median for accountants and auditors ($78,880) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about South Dakota?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or finance directors specifically. For South Dakota, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $78,880, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $66,970–$97,920 and 5,820 accountants and auditors employed in South Dakota. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is South Dakota a good state to work as a Director of Finance?
- South Dakota ranks #31 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -5.7% versus the national median. Finance directors are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Director of Finance in South Dakota earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the director of finance estimate of $193,300 runs +145.1% versus the verified South Dakota median for all accountants and auditors ($78,880). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which South Dakota metro pays finance directors the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Sioux Falls leads South Dakota at $80,920 — about +2.1% versus Rapid City ($79,270). Director of Finance pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
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