Data · South Dakota × Tech

Women in Tech in South Dakota

How women in tech fare in South Dakota — state-adjusted pay gap, state ranking, and the national context that frames the local picture.

78.8%
South Dakota overall earnings ratio (women/men)
Census ACS S2001
#40
of 51 jurisdictions for pay equity
Derived from ACS state ratios
21.2%
Unadjusted pay gap in South Dakota
Census ACS
27.6%
Women in South Dakota’s legislature

The state-adjusted picture

Women in tech nationally face the same structural conditions as women in every other field — but the overall wage environment in South Dakota modifies the baseline by -6.0% relative to the US average. A state where the overall pay gap is narrower tends to reflect narrower gaps within fields too, though field-specific dynamics dominate for specialized professions.

South Dakota has never elected a woman US Senator.

National context

Tech has been the most-tracked and least-fixed diversity gap in American industry for 20 years. This page pulls the latest BLS, Pew, and NSF numbers on who actually works in tech, what they're paid, and where the pipeline is leaking.

Full national data Women in Tech: Numbers, Pay, and Trends (2026)

National headline stats (tech)

26%
Women among all US computing/math occupations (BLS 2024)
22.5%
Women among US software developers specifically
$14K
Median annual pay gap — female vs male software developers
~18%
Women among CS bachelor's degrees awarded in 2024 — down from 37% in 1984

Other fields in South Dakota

Tech in other states

Related pages

Frequently asked

What is the pay gap for women in tech in South Dakota?

South Dakota’s overall pay ratio is 78.8% — a 21.2% gap. The gap within tech follows the national pattern modified by South Dakota’s overall wage environment. See the full national field data for in-field specifics.

How does South Dakota rank on pay equity?

South Dakota ranks #40 of 51 US jurisdictions on pay equity, per Census ACS state ratios.

How are women represented in South Dakota politics?

27.6% of South Dakota state legislators are women (CAWP 2024). 1 women from South Dakota serve in the 119th US Congress.

Where does the national tech data come from?

BLS Labor Force Statistics; NSF Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in S&E; Levels.fyi Compensation Database