Brookings County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Brookings, Volga and Medary Township
Brookings 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. Brookings County is home to Brookings, Volga, Medary Township and Aurora. 5 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny (solar), the 5th largest pipeline among South Dakota's counties. 5 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 972, up 11.3% since 2019. 97 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 682 MW of capacity, 52% of it wind, the 4th largest fleet in South Dakota.
Cities and towns in Brookings County
Brookings County is home to Brookings, Volga, Medary Township and Aurora.
And 7 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lake Poinsett, Newdale Colony, Norfeld Colony, Rolland 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 Brookings County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 34,338 | 37,635 | ▲ 9.6% | 4th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,582 | 19,542 | ▲ 5.2% | 22nd of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,824 | $58,550 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 873 | 972 | ▲ 11.3% | 21st of 31 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9 | 20 | ▲ 122.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 2.0% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 97 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 5 MW | 1% of today's fleet | 5th of 5 by size |
Employers here counted 19,542 jobs in 2025, up 5.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 2.0% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. 37,635 people live here, up 9.6% since 2020, 4th of 66 South Dakota counties by population. Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop is the largest utility serving Brookings County, one of 10 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.94¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.48¢ median for South Dakota utilities.
Who powers Brookings County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +97 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Brookings County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 22,213 | 12.94¢ | 6% |
| City of Brookings - (SD) | Municipal | Bundled | 10,544 | 11.12¢ | 12% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 9,048 | 10.93¢ | 78% |
| City of Volga - (SD) | Municipal | Bundled | 1,075 | 12.80¢ | 3% |
| City of Arlington - (SD) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Aurora - (SD) | — | — | — | — | — |
| H-D Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kingsbury 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.
Operating power plants 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 358 MW | 52% |
| Natural gas | 324 MW | 48% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Creek Station | Basin Electric Power Coop | Natural gas | 324 MW | 2012 |
| Buffalo Ridge II LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 210 MW | 2010 |
| Coyote Ridge | Coyote Ridge LLC | Wind | 97 MW | 2019 |
| Buffalo Ridge I LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 50 MW | 2009 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookings Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 5 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny |
The Brookings County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 19,542 | $58,550 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 972 | $65,827 | 0.94 |
| Data processing and hosting | 20 | $165,712 | 0.33 |
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 Brookings County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Brookings County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Brookings County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Brookings County, Deuel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookings County | 37,635 | ▲ 5.2% | 682 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Deuel County | 4,408 | ▲ 14.4% | 803 MW | 145 MW | — | — |
| Hamlin County | 6,900 | ▲ 29.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Kingsbury County | 5,284 | ▲ 3.3% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
| Lake County | 10,993 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County MN | 5,583 | ▲ 0.2% | 1,052 MW | — | — | — |
| Moody County | 6,632 | ▼ 6.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Pipestone County MN | 9,260 | ▼ 5.3% | 385 MW | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Brookings County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Brookings County, South Dakota?
10 utilities have service territory in Brookings County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop, City of Brookings - (SD), Otter Tail Power Co, City of Volga - (SD). The largest, Sioux Valley SW Elec Coop, charged residential customers 12.94¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Brookings, SD in?
Brookings is in Brookings County, South Dakota. About 25,355 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Brookings County?
4 operating plants with 682 MW of capacity. The largest is Deer Creek Station (324 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Brookings County?
5 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 5 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny.
Are there data centers in Brookings County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Brookings County.
Is Brookings County adding jobs?
Employers counted 19,542 jobs in 2025 against 18,582 in 2019 (+5.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 873 to 972.
Does Brookings County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Brookings County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.