Sioux County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Cannon Ball and Porcupine
Sioux County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Sioux County is home to Fort Yates, Selfridge and Solen. Next door, Morton County has 628 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 1,522 jobs in 2025, down 1.9% from 2019. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Sioux County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.72¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.38¢ median for North Dakota utilities. 3,667 people live here, down 5.4% since 2020.
Cities and towns in Sioux County
Sioux County is home to Fort Yates, Selfridge and Solen.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cannon Ball, Porcupine.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Sioux County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,876 | 3,667 | ▼ 5.4% | 30th of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,551 | 1,522 | ▼ 1.9% | 27th of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,726 | $57,765 | ▲ 29.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.3% | ● 0.0pts | — |
Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019.
Who powers Sioux County
Utilities with service territory in Sioux County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 79,354 | 11.72¢ | 67% |
| Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Sioux County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Sioux County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,522 | $57,765 | 1.00 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Sioux County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sioux County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Morton County.
Sioux County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Sioux County, Morton County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux County | 3,667 | ▼ 1.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Adams County | 2,275 | ▼ 11.5% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Corson County SD | 3,781 | ▼ 4.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Emmons County | 3,215 | ▼ 0.3% | 200 MW | 140 MW | — | — |
| Grant County | 2,206 | ▲ 13.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Morton County | 34,601 | ▲ 6.3% | 994 MW | 628 MW | — | 1 |
| Perkins County SD | 2,853 | ▼ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
More of North Dakota
Sioux County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sioux County, North Dakota?
2 utilities have service territory in Sioux County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Sioux County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sioux County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Morton County.
Is Sioux County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,522 jobs in 2025 against 1,551 in 2019 (-1.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Sioux County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sioux County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.