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Heavy equipment operator schools in South Dakota

South Dakota has 1 accredited campuses awarding heavy equipment credentials. If you finish and work as a construction equipment operator in South Dakota, expect to start around $47,260–$50,690 and reach a median of $59,500 with experience; the top quarter earn $63,460 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota). Graduates of these South Dakota programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of not reported in their first year, against $34,973 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What operating engineers and other construction equipment operators earn in South Dakota

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 2,050 employed in South Dakota. National median: $59,850.

Campuses in South Dakota, ranked by what their graduates earned

Cities: Watertown

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.

Other trades in South Dakota

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