State electricity profile · EIA monthly through May 2026
South Dakota Electricity
As of May 2026, residential electricity in South Dakota costs 15.73¢ per kWh (+9.8% vs May 2025). EIA publishes these figures monthly and this page follows them. South Dakota's 2025 annual residential electricity rate is 13.38¢/kWh, 22.7% below the US average. That is a below-average rate alongside 81% renewable generation, the combination the national debate usually treats as a trade-off. The sector and fuel detail below shows how it is built.
- 15.73¢
- May 2026 rate
- +9.8%
- year over year
- 13.38¢/kWh
- Residential rate
- -22.7%
- vs US average
- 81%
- Renewable
- 446.6K
- Customers
Verify with EIA → · Methodology
13.38¢/kWh residential, 10.89¢/kWh commercial
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2025 annual-frequency retail-sales series, South Dakota's residential average revenue per kWh is 13.38¢/kWh, with a commercial average of 10.89¢/kWh and an industrial average of 8.68¢/kWh; a separate EIA generation series for 2025 reports 81% of the state's generation from renewables.
- 22.7% below the US average vs national residential average
- 81% renewable generation
The verdict · 2025
South Dakota's residential electricity runs 13.38¢/kWh - 22.7% below the 17.30¢/kWh national average, cheaper than 74% of other states, with 81% of its power from renewables.
This is EIA state average revenue per kWh across 446.6K reported residential customers, a benchmark for comparing states, not the tariff on any single bill. Source: EIA retail-sales API, annual frequency.
Annual rate change
What changed in the 2025 annual EIA period
- South Dakota's industrial average rose from 8.28¢/kWh to 8.68¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +4.8%.
- South Dakota's residential average rose from 12.86¢/kWh to 13.38¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +4.0%.
- South Dakota's commercial average rose from 10.55¢/kWh to 10.89¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +3.2%.
Energy Generation Mix (2025)
How South Dakota generates its electricity, from the EIA generation series for 2025 (separate from the 2025 retail-sales price figures above). Renewable sources account for 81.2% of generation.
- Windrenewable57.2%
- Hydrorenewable22.0%
- Natural Gas9.7%
- Coal9.1%
- Solarrenewable2.0%
Who generates South Dakota's electricity
South Dakota has 92 operable generating units on EIA's inventory totalling 7,147 MW of net summer capacity. The largest single plant is Oahe , a conventional hydroelectric station operated by USACE-Omaha , rated 714 MW.
Balancing authorities keep supply and demand matched on the grid; the largest here by capacity are Southwest Power Pool, Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. and Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region.
Showing the 16 largest of 48 operable plants in South Dakota by net summer capacity.
| Plant | Operator | Technology | County | MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oahe | USACE-Omaha | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 714 |
| Big Bend Dam | USACE-Omaha | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 520 |
| Big Stone | Otter Tail Power Co | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 478 |
| Angus Anson | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | – | 343 |
| Fort Randall | USACE-Omaha | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 315 |
| Deuel Harvest Wind Energy LLC | Southern Power Co | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 300 |
| Dakota Range Wind | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 298 |
| Deer Creek Station | Basin Electric Power Coop | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 295 |
| Triple H Wind Project | Engie North America | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 250 |
| Astoria Station | Otter Tail Power Co | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | – | 242 |
| Prevailing Wind Park | AES Distributed Energy | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 220 |
| Buffalo Ridge II LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 210 |
| Crowned Ridge Wind Energy Center | Crowned Ridge Wind, LLC | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 200 |
| Crocker Wind Farm | Geronimo Power | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 200 |
| North Bend Wind Project, LLC | North Bend Wind Project, LLC | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 200 |
| Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC | Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC | Onshore Wind Turbine | – | 200 |
| Operating company | Plants | Net summer MW |
|---|---|---|
| USACE-Omaha | 3 | 1,549 |
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 3 | 833 |
| Basin Electric Power Coop | 4 | 732 |
| Otter Tail Power Co | 2 | 719 |
| Engie North America | 2 | 404 |
| Geronimo Power | 2 | 328 |
| Southern Power Co | 1 | 300 |
| Avangrid Power LLC | 2 | 260 |
| AES Distributed Energy | 1 | 220 |
| NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | 3 | 208 |
Operable units only, from EIA's generator inventory as reported for 2026-05. Capacity is net summer rating, which is what a unit can reliably deliver in peak conditions rather than its nameplate figure. Ownership and operatorship can differ; the company shown is the one EIA records as operating the unit.
What South Dakota's Electricity Data Tells Us
Residential customers in South Dakota pay 13.38¢/kWh in 2025, across 446.6K metered households, placing the state 22.7% below the national residential average of 17.30¢/kWh. Commercial rates sit at 10.89¢/kWh while industrial buyers pay 8.68¢/kWh. These sector averages describe recorded revenue per kWh; this dataset alone does not establish why they differ. Annual residential sales total 5.3M MWh on roughly $715.9M in utility revenue. Sales and revenue are reported retail-series measures and should not be treated as a local load forecast.
The two ends of South Dakota's market are priced very differently: 38 of 51 for households against 23 for industry. A gap this wide means a single statewide "electricity price" describes almost nothing, and the sector figures above should be read separately. Wind carries the majority of South Dakota's in-state generation at 57.2%, though not the whole grid: hydro supplies 22.0% and natural gas a further 9.7%. It is the leading fuel in 5 states. Renewable fuels (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass) account for 81.2% of South Dakota's electricity output. These shares describe in-state generation, not a utility-specific customer bill.
Looking back across EIA records, residential prices in South Dakota moved from 11.47¢/kWh in 2016 to 13.38¢/kWh in 2025, a 16.7% shift over that window. States charging a similar rate include Wyoming, Missouri, Kentucky, a useful peer set for a sanity check. Wind has no fuel bill, so South Dakota's costs sit in transmission and in what fills the hours when the wind is down. That inverts the usual reading: the rate above is less about commodity prices than about how much back-up capacity the state keeps standing. Read the number as a floor rather than a promise. A statewide average this far under the national figure is usually held down by a few large low-cost generators, and a household on the wrong side of a service-territory boundary in South Dakota can pay well above it.
-22.7%
Much cheaper vs the US residential average
74%
of states have higher rates — Below-average cost
81%
Heavily renewable — above the 25% US mix
446.6K
residential customers served
Residential Price History
South Dakota residential average revenue per kWh moved from 11.47¢/kWh in 2016 to 13.38¢/kWh in 2025 (16.7% over the window).
- South Dakota residential avg
- 13.38¢/kWh 16.7% since 2016
- 2016 → 2025
- South Dakota residential: 2016, 11.5¢
- South Dakota residential: 2017, 11.8¢
- South Dakota residential: 2018, 11.6¢
- South Dakota residential: 2019, 11.6¢
- South Dakota residential: 2020, 11.8¢
- South Dakota residential: 2021, 12.2¢
- South Dakota residential: 2022, 12.1¢
- South Dakota residential: 2023, 12.3¢
- South Dakota residential: 2024, 12.9¢
- South Dakota residential: 2025, 13.4¢
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail-sales API · annual frequency. South Dakota full trend →
South Dakota Average Price by Sector and Year (¢/kWh)
The chart above tracks households only. In 2025, South Dakota households paid 13.38¢/kWh while businesses paid 10.89¢/kWh, a 22.9% residential premium, a moderate household-versus-business gap. Every year EIA has published is below, so a single year can be read across all three sectors rather than assembled from three separate EIA queries.
| Year | Residential | Commercial | Industrial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13.38¢/kWh | 10.89¢/kWh | 8.68¢/kWh |
| 2024 | 12.86¢/kWh | 10.55¢/kWh | 8.28¢/kWh |
| 2023 | 12.32¢/kWh | 10.16¢/kWh | 8.01¢/kWh |
| 2022 | 12.09¢/kWh | 10.21¢/kWh | 8.04¢/kWh |
| 2021 | 12.22¢/kWh | 10.15¢/kWh | 8.02¢/kWh |
| 2020 | 11.75¢/kWh | 9.65¢/kWh | 7.79¢/kWh |
| 2019 | 11.55¢/kWh | 9.59¢/kWh | 7.81¢/kWh |
| 2018 | 11.59¢/kWh | 9.62¢/kWh | 7.77¢/kWh |
| 2017 | 11.77¢/kWh | 9.74¢/kWh | 7.84¢/kWh |
| 2016 | 11.47¢/kWh | 9.58¢/kWh | 7.57¢/kWh |
Average revenue per kilowatt-hour, U.S. Energy Information Administration annual-frequency retail-sales series. Revenue per kWh is what customers in each sector actually paid on average, not an advertised tariff rate. Years with no EIA figure for a sector show —.
Where South Dakota's residential rate sits nationally
2025 average revenue per kWh across every reporting state
13.38¢/kWh Top 26% most affordable More affordable than 74% of 50 other states
all reporting states, equal-width bands
Each bar spans 5¢/kWh. Taller bars contain more states; the dashed marker locates this state. Hover, focus or tap a bar for its exact count and share.
Source U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail-sales API · 2025 annual frequency
How South Dakota compares
Average revenue per kWh, EIA retail-sales API. Pick a benchmark above to compare South Dakota against the US average or a peer state.
Market Overview
Residential Revenue
$715.9M
Commercial Revenue
$576.4M
Residential Sales
5.3M MWh
Residential Customers
446.6K
Using South Dakota's numbers
A grid this renewable is close to the end of the supply-build phase, so South Dakota's rate is increasingly set by what it costs to keep power available in the hours renewables do not cover, not by adding more of them.
- South Dakota sits 22.7% below the national average, see exactly where it lands among all 50 states. See the rankings
- Check the multi-year trend before you judge the rate, a low price rising fast can cost more over a decade than a steady one. South Dakota price trend
- Compare South Dakota side by side with the US average and peer states using the tool above, then estimate your own bill from your monthly kWh. Cost calculator
Figures are EIA state averages by sector, computed as revenue divided by sales, so delivery and taxes are inside them but not broken out. Your actual rate depends on your utility, plan, and usage, see our disclaimer.
States with Similar Electricity Prices
Other states led by wind
These grids also report wind as their largest generation share in the latest EIA mix — a different peer set from the price neighbors above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Read with South Dakota: cheapest states for electricity
Where South Dakota's figures come from
Every price and generation figure on this page is drawn from the EIA series below, and from nothing else.
- 📊 EIA State Energy Profile, South Dakota State energy database
- ⚡ EIA Electric Power Monthly The monthly and annual price series behind every rate here
- 🌿 EIA generation by source The in-state generation shares quoted above
- 📖 Our methodology Source-to-figure lineage, and further federal energy references
Utilities serving South Dakota
The 20 utilities that reported bundled residential service in South Dakota to EIA Form 861 (2024), largest first. Entity prices below are Form 861 averages for that release, not the same survey as the 2025 retail-sales statewide average above, and not a household tariff. What an individual household pays depends on which of these serves its address.
| Utility | Ownership | Customers | Avg ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Investor Owned | 92.2K | 13.87¢ |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | Investor Owned | 61.0K | 14.37¢ |
| NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | Investor Owned | 51.5K | 12.56¢ |
| Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop | Cooperative | 22.2K | 12.94¢ |
| Southeastern Electric Coop Inc - (SD) | Cooperative | 20.2K | 12.41¢ |
| West River Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | 18.4K | 14.25¢ |
| Watertown Municipal Utilities | Municipal | 11.6K | 9.30¢ |
| City of Brookings - (SD) | Municipal | 10.5K | 11.12¢ |
| Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 9.2K | 14.76¢ |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | 9.0K | 10.93¢ |
| Central Electric Coop, Inc - (SD) | Cooperative | 6.5K | 13.64¢ |
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Investor Owned | 6.4K | 14.59¢ |
| City of Pierre - (SD) | Municipal | 6.1K | 10.65¢ |
| Northern Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 5.8K | 11.29¢ |
| Rosebud Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 4.9K | 10.63¢ |
Showing the 15 largest of 20 reporting utilities. Presence in EIA Form 861 is not evidence that a utility is available at a given address or that a customer may choose it.
Related
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on RateWatt is rendered directly from official U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, no number is typed in by an editor. Statewide prices use the EIA retail-sales annual series (2025). Generation mix uses a separate EIA generation series (2025). Utility rows use Form EIA-861 (2024) and are not averaged into the statewide retail-sales figure. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2025.