SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It's well known that teaching is among the lowest-paid professions in the country. But in South Dakota, there have actually been some positive changes. "All school districts have been increasing teacher salary pay, which is fantastic progress," Kyle Kopplin, a research fellow with the Dakota Institute, said. "Teacher salaries in South Dakota, historically, we've been in the 40s in terms of national rank. So any positive growth is good growth." According to research that economist Kyle Kopplin did for the Dakota Institute, the average wage for South Dakota public teachers in 2023 was $53,200. The average overall compensation including benefits and salary hit $68,500. When it comes to starting wages, Kopplin broke those down by district. The highest starting salary was $53,588 in the Oglala Lakota School District at Pine Ridge and the lowest starting salary was at $35,000 in the Elk Mountain School District of Edgemont, South Dakota. UPDATE: Holden Duncan ‘found safe’ "Over the last six years, we've had a bunch of inflation," Kopplin said. "And so even the gains year over year in teacher salaries haven't kept up with the inflation, even in South Dakota. So, I was surprised that even though there have been gains in every district, some districts haven't been keeping up as well as others." Kopplin's research also found that the average starting wage for teachers is typically higher in South Dakota than in neighboring states like Montana, Nebraska and Iowa, for example. "The fact that South Dakota has higher starting salaries than some of our neighbors, to me, seemed like an intentional effort to try to attract qualified teachers or at least those that show considerable promise after just completing their education," Kopplin said. This past legislative session, a bill did pass that states beginning July 1, 2026, each public school district must pay each full-time teacher a salary at least equal to the state minimum salary -- which is $45,000.