Funeral Attendants Salary
Funeral Attendants in South Dakota make a median of $37,170 a year, or about $17.87 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.89), which stretches that salary to about $41,351 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,017/month, about 38% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of South Dakota. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $37K get you in South Dakota?
About funeral attendants
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in South Dakota
Funeral attendants pay in South Dakota tracks closely to the national median, $37K locally vs. $36K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,017/month, which is 38.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.89 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, South Dakota
Entry-level funeral attendants (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track funeral attendants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when South Dakota numbers change.
Related careers in Personal Care
Frequently asked questions
Can a funeral attendant afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Dakota?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 38.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,017/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for funeral attendants in South Dakota?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new funeral attendants typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,848/month. At HUD’s $1,017/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is funeral attendant a high-paying job in South Dakota?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $37K locally vs. $36K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does South Dakota compare to the national average for funeral attendants?
South Dakota pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $36K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do funeral attendants make in South Dakota?
The median is $37,170 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,800, and experienced funeral attendants can clear $47,940. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in South Dakota?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,659/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,017/month, which eats 38.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a funeral attendants salary go in South Dakota?
South Dakota has a Regional Price Parity of 89.89 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median funeral attendants salary is worth about $41,351 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do funeral attendants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.