Electricity Rate in South Dakota (2026): 15.36c/kWh Average
The EIA residential electricity price in South Dakota is 15.36 cents per kWh as of June 2026, 2.98c below the US average of 18.34c/kWh. The South Dakota commercial rate is 11.35c/kWh and the industrial rate is 9.44c/kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A).
South Dakota Electricity Rate: What You Need to Know
South Dakota electricity averages 15.36 cents per kWh for residential customers as of June 2026, according to the EIA Electric Power Monthly. This is 2.98c below the US average of 18.34c/kWh. The average monthly bill for South Dakota households is $134 based on typical usage of 998 kWh.
South Dakota gets more of its electricity from wind than almost any other state - wind turbines generate roughly 59% of in-state output, with hydropower from the big Missouri River dams (Oahe, Big Bend, Fort Randall, and Gavins Point) supplying about 21%, natural gas near 11%, and a shrinking coal share around 8%. That heavy wind-and-hydro base, both with essentially no fuel cost, is a big reason South Dakota's 15.36c/kWh rate (June 2026) sits below the US average of 18.34c. The market is regulated with no residential retail choice: Black Hills Energy serves the Rapid City area and the west, NorthWestern Energy serves the east around Sioux Falls, Otter Tail Power serves the northeast, and East River Electric Cooperative wholesales to rural distribution co-ops, all overseen by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. A major structural change is underway: in August 2025 Black Hills Corporation and NorthWestern Energy announced an all-stock merger valuing the combined utility at about $15.4 billion, a deal that still needs regulatory approval. South Dakota's relatively high average usage of 998 kWh per month - cold winters plus summer cooling - keeps the typical bill near $134 despite the low per-kWh price.
Generation mix: Wind 59%, hydro 21%, natural gas 11%, coal 8%. The fuel mix is a primary driver of electricity rates - states with abundant hydro or nuclear tend to have lower rates, while states dependent on imported petroleum (Hawaii) or natural gas pay more.
Year-over-year change: South Dakota rates rose 8.0% year-over-year as of June 2026. This compares to the US average increase of 5% over the same period.
Regulated: You Cannot Switch Electricity Suppliers
Black Hills Energy / Otter Tail Power operates as the regulated utility in South Dakota. Retail electricity choice is not available for residential customers. Options for reducing your bill include: time-of-use rate optimization, energy efficiency upgrades, and rooftop solar.
Your South Dakota Electricity Bill Components
State pre-selected in our full bill calculator with TOU and commercial modes.
Open Bill Calculator ->Electric Utilities in South Dakota: 73 Listed (2024 EIA-861)
EIA's Form 861 census records 73 entities with 2024 retail electricity sales in South Dakota: 21 distribution utilities filing the full form, 52 small utilities filing the short form (EIA-861S). By ownership: 34 municipal, 30 cooperative, 6 investor owned, 2 political subdivision, 1 federal. The state-wide average realised residential price in 2024 was 12.86 cents per kWh across 433,548 residential customers and 5,170,067 MWh of sales; EIA's latest monthly figure is 15.36c (June 2026). The largest utility by residential accounts served (bundled plus delivery-only) is Northern States Power Co - Minnesota with 92,204 (13.87c per kWh, 15.9% of state residential sales by MWh). 20 of the 21 distribution utilities have a detail page; the rest are listed here only.
| # | Utility | Ownership | Res. accounts | Residential | Commercial | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern States Power Co - Minnesotaalso MN, ND | Investor Owned | 92,204 | 13.87c | 11.50c | 10 |
| 2 | Black Hills Power, Inc.also WY, MT | Investor Owned | 60,951 | 14.37c | 13.18c | 6 |
| 3 | NorthWestern Energy (SD) | Investor Owned | 51,467 | 12.56c | 12.01c | 27 |
| 4 | Sioux Valley SW Elec Coopalso MN | Cooperative | 22,213 | 12.94c | 15.64c | 10 |
| 5 | Southeastern Electric Coop Inc (SD) | Cooperative | 20,160 | 12.41c | 10.21c | 13 |
| 6 | West River Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | 18,423 | 14.25c | 13.02c | 6 |
| 7 | Watertown Municipal Utilities | Municipal | 11,633 | 9.30c | 8.58c | 1 |
| 8 | City of Brookings (SD) | Municipal | 10,544 | 11.12c | 11.58c | 1 |
| 9 | Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 9,227 | 14.76c | 14.34c | 6 |
| 10 | Otter Tail Power Coalso MN, ND | Investor Owned | 9,048 | 10.93c | 7.33c | 11 |
| 11 | Central Electric Coop, Inc (SD) | Cooperative | 6,483 | 13.64c | 12.70c | 8 |
| 12 | Montana-Dakota Utilities Coalso ND, MT, WY | Investor Owned | 6,367 | 14.59c | 12.92c | 13 |
| 13 | City of Pierre (SD) | Municipal | 6,126 | 10.65c | 11.48c | 1 |
| 14 | Northern Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 5,757 | 11.29c | 9.86c | 10 |
| 15 | Rosebud Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 4,856 | 10.63c | 9.16c | 4 |
| 16 | MidAmerican Energy Coalso IA, IL | Investor Owned | 4,236 | 8.68c | 7.61c | 2 |
| 17 | Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,224 | 15.30c | 9.89c | 11 |
| 18 | City of Madison (SD) | Municipal | 2,802 | 11.49c | 10.04c | 1 |
| 19 | City of Volga (SD) | Municipal | 1,075 | 12.80c | 12.75c | 1 |
| 20 | Nebraska Public Power Districtalso NE | Political Subdivision | 1,044 | 9.73c | 7.29c | 1 |
| 21 | WAPA-- Western Area Power Administrationalso CA, AZ, CO, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, UT, WY | Federal | 0 | n/a | 2.78c | 54 |
Small utilities filing the EIA-861S short form (52): totals across all sectors, no residential split+
| Utility | Ownership | Customers (all) | Avg price (all) | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 7,265 | 14.59c | 3 |
| Moreau-Grand Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 7,153 | 12.97c | 3 |
| West Central Electric Coop Inc (SD) | Cooperative | 6,801 | 13.12c | 6 |
| LaCreek Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 6,665 | 11.76c | 5 |
| Grand Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 5,247 | 14.65c | 6 |
| City of Vermillion (SD) | Municipal | 5,034 | 11.60c | 1 |
| Cherry-Todd Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 4,939 | 11.18c | 2 |
| Bon Homme Yankton El Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 4,133 | 11.94c | 2 |
| Clay-Union Electric Corp | Cooperative | 3,895 | 10.90c | 5 |
| H-D Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,829 | 10.83c | 6 |
| Whetstone Valley Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,658 | 11.87c | 4 |
| Lake Region Electric Assn, Inc (SD) | Cooperative | 3,468 | 9.37c | 5 |
| Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 3,457 | 9.84c | 10 |
| Oahe Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,385 | 7.66c | 2 |
| City of Sioux Falls (SD) | Municipal | 2,936 | 11.66c | 1 |
| Charles Mix Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 2,660 | 13.07c | 4 |
| Cam Wal Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 2,586 | 13.34c | 3 |
| FEM Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 2,152 | 9.88c | 3 |
| Winner Municipal Utility | Municipal | 1,885 | 11.74c | 1 |
| Union County Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 1,690 | 15.03c | 1 |
| City of Flandreau | Municipal | 1,415 | 11.65c | 1 |
| City of Fort Pierre (SD) | Municipal | 1,414 | 9.93c | 1 |
| City of Beresford | Municipal | 1,248 | 10.58c | 2 |
| Traverse Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 1,073 | 10.03c | 2 |
| City of Elk Point | Municipal | 1,045 | 11.21c | 1 |
| City of Miller (SD) | Municipal | 950 | 10.93c | 1 |
| Kingsbury Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 905 | 14.59c | 5 |
| Douglas Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 820 | 13.21c | 5 |
| City of Groton (SD) | Municipal | 757 | 9.64c | 1 |
| City of Parker (SD) | Municipal | 674 | 12.11c | 1 |
| City of Tyndall (SD) | Municipal | 646 | 10.95c | 1 |
| City of Howard (SD) | Municipal | 621 | 9.96c | 1 |
| City of Arlington (SD) | Municipal | 616 | 12.84c | 2 |
| City of Wessington Springs | Municipal | 610 | 12.29c | 1 |
| City of Aurora (SD) | Municipal | 529 | 11.20c | 1 |
| City of Onida (SD) | Municipal | 483 | 11.09c | 1 |
| City of Plankinton (SD) | Municipal | 475 | 10.63c | 1 |
| City of Burke (SD) | Municipal | 459 | 10.61c | 1 |
| City of Estelline (SD) | Municipal | 420 | 9.31c | 1 |
| City of Colman (SD) | Municipal | 411 | 11.18c | 1 |
| City of Big Stone City (SD) | Municipal | 401 | 10.00c | 1 |
| City of McLaughlin (SD) | Municipal | 333 | 9.91c | 1 |
| City of White (SD) | Municipal | 308 | 12.93c | 1 |
| City of Hecla | Municipal | 285 | 13.99c | 1 |
| City of Bryant (SD) | Municipal | 276 | 14.41c | 1 |
| City of Faith (SD) | Municipal | 275 | 11.72c | 1 |
| Town of Langford- (SD) | Municipal | 190 | 16.15c | 1 |
| Town of Pickstown (SD) | Municipal | 182 | 9.38c | 1 |
| City of Badger (SD) | Municipal | 83 | 11.59c | 1 |
| Southeast Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 23 | 14.44c | 1 |
| Niobrara Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 16 | 19.00c | 1 |
| Heartland Consumers Power Dist | Political Subdivision | 3 | 8.34c | - |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 Annual, 2024 final data (public domain), retrieved 28 August 2026; prices are average realised revenue per kWh, not tariffs. Final 2024 file f8612024.zip (released 3 December 2025) from the EIA-861 detailed data files. Preliminary 2025 figures come from the early-release file f8612025er.zip (4 August 2026), which EIA has not yet validated; they are labelled as such wherever shown and never mixed into a final figure.