The state of South Dakota spent more than $26.2 million on public health programs, initiatives and educational campaigns in fiscal year 2013-14 alone. Additionally, the federal government contributed approximately twice that amount to the state in fiscal year 2014 when funding from the CDC and the Health Resources Service Administration is combined. Spending of this kind on the state’s public health system helps ensure salaries for public health professionals in South Dakota are highly competitive.
South Dakota Department of Health (DOH)-led efforts have been having a significant effect in the state by reducing the prevalence of high-risk behaviors such as smoking (reduced by 11% in recent years, reducing the spread of infectious disease, and increasing the rate of immunization among residents.
The state mandates that physicians, institutions, laboratories, and hospitals notify state epidemiologists when encountering patients with infectious diseases – approximately 60 infectious diseases are regularly tracked.
Environmental health specialists with the DOH place a heavy emphasis on ensuring that the citizens of South Dakota have safe sources of water and test both private wells and public water sources. The DOH’s Environmental Health Laboratory tests for volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and more than 60 inorganic contaminants, including mercury and arsenic.
Public health professionals with the state of South Dakota work with their colleagues at the federal and local levels to help improve the state’s public health system, earning a good living as they contribute to the health and safety of South Dakota’s residents.
Taking a Look at Public Health Salaries in Sioux Falls
The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation provides the salaries for a number of public health professional classifications found in the Sioux Falls metropolitan statistical area (2014). Highly educated professionals such as those with a Master of Public Health are likely to enjoy earnings on the higher end of the salary scales.
Salary Analysis for Public Health Professionals Throughout South Dakota
In 2014, statisticians in South Dakota earned a median salary of $48,943, while top earners in the 90th percentile earned an average salary of $84,508 according to the state’s Department of Labor and Regulation.
The 2015 salaries of epidemiologists with the South Dakota Department of Health are shown below:
- State epidemiologist: $107,054
- Chronic disease epidemiologist: $69,865
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides additional salary data for a number of public health positions in South Dakota (2014):
