Average annual payment per South Dakota lawmaker is about $27,000 after including reimbursements

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South Dakota lawmakers receive a salary of about $16,000, but the average payout per legislator was $26,813 during the last fiscal year after accounting for mileage, an allowance for living expenses, and out-of-state travel to conferences, according to data obtained by South Dakota Searchlight from the state’s Legislative Research Council.

During this year’s annual legislative session, which ran from January through March, lawmakers earned a salary of $15,970. The salary is adjusted each year by the state’s Board of Finance to 20% of the South Dakota median household income as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, according to state law.

Lawmakers who reside more than 50 miles from the state Capitol receive additional payments of $178 per day to help cover their living expenses during the annual legislative sessions and during committee meetings held during the rest of the year. During sessions, lawmakers receive reimbursement for their first trip at a mileage rate of 5 cents per mile, according to the state constitution, then each trip after at 70 cents per mile.

Additionally, lawmakers can receive reimbursements for out-of-state conferences. That typically includes airfare, lodging, meals and registration costs.

To cover all payouts to lawmakers, the state spent about $2.8 million in fiscal year 2026, which ended in June.

Last month, a committee of state senators and representatives endorsed a budget increase that would help cover the cost of a salary increase. The anticipated salary for lawmakers during the upcoming session is $16,492, based on newly released median household income data.