How to become a state trooper in South Dakota
The South Dakota Highway Patrol (Department of Public Safety) hires state troopers under the title Highway Patrol Trooper. New state troopers start at $64,251 a year. You must be at least 21.
Pay
| Starting salary | $64,251 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
| Scale effective | 2026-07-01 |
$30.89/hr × 2,080 from the state's FY2027 Highway Patrol Trooper posting (now closed).
Source:[statesdgovt.hireclick.com]
Pay for this work across South Dakota
Federal survey figures for police and sheriff's patrol officers in South Dakota, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from the state's own pay scale above.
| People in this work | 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $47,540 |
| Median pay | $60,740 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $91,900 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Minimum age: 21
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen
- Minimum age 21 on or before the hiring date
- Valid (or ability to obtain a valid) South Dakota driver license
- 20/20 binocular vision with or without corrective lenses; normal hearing in both ears
- Good physical condition with no chronic conditions that would impair performance
- Good character background with no felony convictions
- Willing to travel or relocate anywhere in South Dakota and respond to duty 24 hours a day
- Certified officers from other states or the BIA skip the written exam; $5,000 hiring incentive is often offered to certified/reciprocity-eligible officers
Source:[sd.gov]
Hiring process
- Application
- Written test (waived for certified officers)
- Physical test
- Two interviews
- Background investigation
- Medical exam
- Drug screening
- Polygraph exam
Source:[sd.gov]
Academy
23 weeks, paid. 23 weeks at the Law Enforcement Training Center in Pierre: 13 weeks basic law enforcement certification + 10 weeks Highway Patrol training, followed by 10 weeks of field training. Recruits receive complete salary during recruit training. Physical tests (push-ups, sit-ups, vertical jump, 1.5-mile run, 2,000-m row) in the first academy week.[sd.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS), Class B Public Safety, Generational plan
- Benefit formula: 2.0% × Final Average Compensation × years of credited service (Generational Class B Public Safety, all service); FAC = highest 20 consecutive quarters within the last 40 quarters
- When you can retire: Generational Class B Public Safety: normal retirement age 57, early retirement age 47
SDHP benefits list membership in the 'Class B' SDRS. Class B Public Safety contribution is 8% member / 8% employer. Generational plan applies to members first hired on or after July 1, 2017 (Foundation members: 55 normal, Rule of 75).
Source:[sd.gov]