To take home four times the typical rent, a full-time job in South Dakota needs to pay from $20.55 an hour in Ziebach County to $29.39 in Pennington County, before taxes. The middle county is Haakon County at $22.23.
| County | Pay needed | Studio rent |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Beadle County | $23.01/hr | $785/mo |
| Bennett County | $25.66/hr | $870/mo |
| Bon Homme County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Brookings County | $23.79/hr | $810/mo |
| Brown County | $21.46/hr | $735/mo |
| Brule County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Buffalo County | $29.11/hr | $981/mo |
| Butte County | $24.88/hr | $845/mo |
| Campbell County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Charles Mix County | $26.59/hr | $900/mo |
| Clark County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Clay County | $21.61/hr | $740/mo |
| Codington County | $23.48/hr | $800/mo |
| Corson County | $21.14/hr | $725/mo |
| Custer County | $27.37/hr | $925/mo |
| Davison County | $24.10/hr | $820/mo |
| Day County | $20.99/hr | $720/mo |
| Deuel County | $22.08/hr | $755/mo |
| Dewey County | $21.30/hr | $730/mo |
| Douglas County | $22.54/hr | $770/mo |
| Edmunds County | $22.70/hr | $775/mo |
| Fall River County | $26.28/hr | $890/mo |
| Faulk County | $21.61/hr | $740/mo |
| Grant County | $23.32/hr | $795/mo |
| Gregory County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Haakon County | $22.23/hr | $760/mo |
| Hamlin County | $21.77/hr | $745/mo |
| Hand County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Hanson County | $22.23/hr | $760/mo |
| Harding County | $22.54/hr | $770/mo |
| Hughes County | $23.17/hr | $790/mo |
| Hutchinson County | $22.70/hr | $775/mo |
| Hyde County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Jackson County | $22.86/hr | $780/mo |
| Jerauld County | $21.64/hr | $741/mo |
| Jones County | $21.92/hr | $750/mo |
| Kingsbury County | $21.14/hr | $725/mo |
| Lake County | $23.48/hr | $800/mo |
| Lawrence County | $24.41/hr | $830/mo |
| Lincoln County | $27.99/hr | $945/mo |
| Lyman County | $22.39/hr | $765/mo |
| Marshall County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| McCook County | $23.48/hr | $800/mo |
| McPherson County | $25.66/hr | $870/mo |
| Meade County | $27.68/hr | $935/mo |
| Mellette County | $22.54/hr | $770/mo |
| Miner County | $22.86/hr | $780/mo |
| Minnehaha County | $26.59/hr | $900/mo |
| Moody County | $20.83/hr | $715/mo |
| Oglala Lakota County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Pennington County | $29.39/hr | $990/mo |
| Perkins County | $22.23/hr | $760/mo |
| Potter County | $25.97/hr | $880/mo |
| Roberts County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Sanborn County | $21.61/hr | $740/mo |
| Spink County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Stanley County | $24.63/hr | $837/mo |
| Sully County | $21.64/hr | $741/mo |
| Todd County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Tripp County | $20.68/hr | $710/mo |
| Turner County | $23.17/hr | $790/mo |
| Union County | $22.86/hr | $780/mo |
| Walworth County | $23.17/hr | $790/mo |
| Yankton County | $21.30/hr | $730/mo |
| Ziebach County | $20.55/hr | $706/mo |
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent?