Job title · South Dakota

Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseworker in South Dakota

South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration (BHRA); Unified Judicial System for judicial classes lists 2 job classes for this work in the South Dakota state pay plan: Family Services Specialist, Lead Family Services Spclst.

$53,435 – $89,003
state pay plan range, a year
2
classes in the state plan
$51,100
median pay in SD, all employers
2,050
workers in SD (SOC 21-1021)

Sources: South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration (BHRA); Unified Judicial System for judicial classes, South Dakota Class Code Master and FY27 Pay Structures; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

South Dakota state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective July 1, 2026. These are the ranges South Dakota sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Family Services Specialist
Class 051533
Grade GI
$25.69 – $38.51 a hour
$53,435 – $80,101 a year
Lead Family Services Spclst
Class 051761
Grade GJ
$28.54 – $42.79 a hour
$59,363 – $89,003 a year

Schedule: FY27 General Pay Structure. Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions (hourly × 2,080). Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration (BHRA); Unified Judicial System for judicial classes, South Dakota Class Code Master and FY27 Pay Structures. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in South Dakota, all employers Sourced

Child, Family, and School Social Workers (SOC 21-1021) in South Dakota, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureSD
Workers2,050
10th percentile$39,150
Median$51,100
90th percentile$67,310
National median, government employers$65,660

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseworker page.

Child Protective Services (CPS) Caseworker in other states