Typical comp shape
Software engineers usually earn rsu, sometimes + espp. Common employers include Alphabet, Meta, Stripe, Amazon. Largest single audience; broadly tiered RSU grants by level.
What South Dakota changes
South Dakota has no wage income tax, which is structurally favorable for software engineers with meaningful RSU comp. The savings vs a CA-resident colleague can be $30-60k per year at senior IC levels. That math is why Austin and Seattle are the two top relocation destinations for Bay Area tech workers.
Planning cadence
For a software engineer in South Dakota, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor). A move-out question — if you're considering leaving South Dakota for a high-tax state, time it around vesting.