Beadle County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Huron
No data center or power plant project is on record in Beadle County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Beadle County is home to Huron. 62 MW has retired here since 2019, including Huron (natural gas, 58 MW, 2022). 69 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Construction employs 357, unchanged since 2019. Unemployment was 1.9% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Beadle County
Beadle County is home to Huron.
And 11 smaller places.
- Iroquois also extends into Kingsbury County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Huron Colony, Morningside, Pearl Creek Colony, Riverside Colony, Shamrock Colony.
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 Beadle County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 19,162 | 19,624 | ▲ 2.4% | 11th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,650 | 8,524 | ▼ 1.5% | 46th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,414 | $53,994 | ▲ 30.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 357 | 357 | ● 0.0% | 30th of 31 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 54 | 46 | ▼ 14.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 1.9% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 69 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 62 MW | — |
Its power plants have 69 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. NorthWestern Energy - (SD) is the largest utility serving Beadle County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 8,524 jobs in 2025, down 1.5% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 46, down 14.8% since 2019 against up 38.0% statewide, at an average $79,681 a year. 19,624 people live here, up 2.4% since 2020.
Who powers Beadle County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +7 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Beadle County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 51,467 | 12.56¢ | 40% |
| Northern Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,757 | 11.29¢ | 18% |
| Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,224 | 15.30¢ | 18% |
| Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kingsbury Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 99% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 69 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Glanzer Generating Station | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | Natural gas | 69 MW | 2022 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron | Natural gas | 58 MW | 2022 |
| Mobile Unit | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2019 |
The Beadle County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,524 | $53,994 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 357 | $64,239 | 0.79 |
| Electrical contractors | 46 | $79,681 | 0.75 |
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 Beadle County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Beadle County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Beadle County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Beadle County, Hand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle County | 19,624 | ▼ 1.5% | 69 MW | — | — | — |
| Clark County | 4,031 | ▲ 14.7% | 222 MW | — | — | — |
| Hand County | 3,121 | ▲ 4.7% | 226 MW | — | — | — |
| Jerauld County | 1,654 | ▲ 5.1% | 213 MW | — | — | — |
| Kingsbury County | 5,284 | ▲ 3.3% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
| Miner County | 2,281 | ▲ 5.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Sanborn County | 2,388 | ▲ 13.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Spink County | 6,155 | ▲ 0.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Beadle County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Beadle County, South Dakota?
6 utilities have service territory in Beadle County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NorthWestern Energy - (SD), Northern Electric Coop, Inc, Dakota Energy Coop Inc, Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, NorthWestern Energy - (SD), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Huron, SD in?
Huron is in Beadle County, South Dakota. About 14,607 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Beadle County?
1 operating plant with 69 MW of capacity. The largest is Bob Glanzer Generating Station (69 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Beadle County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Beadle County.
Is Beadle County adding jobs?
Employers counted 8,524 jobs in 2025 against 8,650 in 2019 (-1.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 357 to 357.
Does Beadle County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Beadle County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.