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1 / 50#50. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,950
- Median hourly wage: $37.96
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying jobs in Rapid City
Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Rapid City. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 50#49. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $79,320
- Median hourly wage: $38.14
- Total employment: 30 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $80,960
- Median hourly wage: $38.92
- Total employment: 440 people (6.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $80,970
- Median hourly wage: $38.93
- Total employment: 50 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $81,540
- Median hourly wage: $39.20
- Total employment: 50 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ABO PHOTOGRAPHY // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Occupational therapists
- Median annual wage: $82,110
- Median hourly wage: $39.48
- Total employment: 80 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $82,280
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 90 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $82,970
- Median hourly wage: $39.89
- Total employment: 100 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $83,630
- Median hourly wage: $40.21
- Total employment: 60 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $83,670
- Median hourly wage: $40.23
- Total employment: 80 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Atmospheric and space scientists
- Median annual wage: $83,710
- Median hourly wage: $40.25
- Total employment: Not available
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $84,020
- Median hourly wage: $40.39
- Total employment: 160 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $84,080
- Median hourly wage: $40.43
- Total employment: 170 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $84,260
- Median hourly wage: $40.51
- Total employment: 60 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedy // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $84,420
- Median hourly wage: $40.59
- Total employment: 60 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $90,460
- Median hourly wage: $43.49
- Total employment: 130 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $91,320
- Median hourly wage: $43.90
- Total employment: Not available
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $91,460
- Median hourly wage: $43.97
- Total employment: 240 people (3.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $91,900
- Median hourly wage: $44.18
- Total employment: 250 people (3.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aykut Erdogdu // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Physical therapists
- Median annual wage: $92,290
- Median hourly wage: $44.37
- Total employment: 150 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $92,460
- Median hourly wage: $44.45
- Total employment: 270 people (3.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $92,860
- Median hourly wage: $44.65
- Total employment: 30 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $93,910
- Median hourly wage: $45.15
- Total employment: 40 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $95,260
- Median hourly wage: $45.80
- Total employment: 80 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.98
- Total employment: 80 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $96,350
- Median hourly wage: $46.32
- Total employment: 80 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $98,820
- Median hourly wage: $47.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $101,870
- Median hourly wage: $48.98
- Total employment: 60 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $102,320
- Median hourly wage: $49.19
- Total employment: 60 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. School psychologists
- Median annual wage: $102,970
- Median hourly wage: $49.51
- Total employment: 40 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $103,090
- Median hourly wage: $49.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $107,240
- Median hourly wage: $51.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $108,880
- Median hourly wage: $52.35
- Total employment: 100 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $111,480
- Median hourly wage: $53.59
- Total employment: 200 people (2.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $111,810
- Median hourly wage: $53.75
- Total employment: 170 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $113,130
- Median hourly wage: $54.39
- Total employment: 70 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $117,860
- Median hourly wage: $56.66
- Total employment: 170 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $122,160
- Median hourly wage: $58.73
- Total employment: 130 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $124,850
- Median hourly wage: $60.03
- Total employment: 70 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $126,570
- Median hourly wage: $60.85
- Total employment: 80 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $128,290
- Median hourly wage: $61.68
- Total employment: 650 people (9.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $146,620
- Median hourly wage: $70.49
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $146,690
- Median hourly wage: $70.52
- Total employment: 100 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $148,390
- Median hourly wage: $71.34
- Total employment: 100 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $150,370
- Median hourly wage: $72.29
- Total employment: Not available
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $153,530
- Median hourly wage: $73.81
- Total employment: 160 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $158,690
- Median hourly wage: $76.29
- Total employment: Not available
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. General internal medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 110 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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