Fall River County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hot Springs
Fall River 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. Fall River County is home to Hot Springs and Edgemont. Construction employs 100, up 25.0% since 2019. 80 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 80 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Employers here counted 2,506 jobs in 2025, up 2.2% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Fall River County
Fall River County is home to Hot Springs and Edgemont.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Angostura, Ardmore, Dudley, Maverick Junction, Oral, Provo, Smithwick.
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 Fall River County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 6,971 | 7,467 | ▲ 7.1% | 24th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,451 | 2,506 | ▲ 2.2% | 36th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,694 | $52,195 | ▲ 34.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 80 | 100 | ▲ 25.0% | 14th of 31 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 2.9% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 80 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Black Hills Power, Inc. is the largest utility serving Fall River County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.48¢ median for South Dakota utilities. Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019. 7,467 people live here, up 7.1% since 2020.
Who powers Fall River County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +80 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Fall River County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 60,951 | 14.37¢ | 51% |
| Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,227 | 14.76¢ | 22% |
| Niobrara Electric Assn, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 80 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River Solar, LLC | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 80 MW | 2023 |
The Fall River County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,506 | $52,195 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 100 | $60,158 | 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 Fall River County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Fall River County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Fall River County and its neighbors
None of the 5 counties bordering Fall River County has a data center, a power plant or planned generation on record.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County | 7,467 | ▲ 2.2% | 80 MW | — | — | — |
| Custer County | 9,431 | ▲ 10.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Dawes County NE | 7,858 | ▲ 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Niobrara County WY | 2,341 | ▼ 9.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,338 | ▲ 3.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Sioux County NE | 1,188 | ▲ 16.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Fall River County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fall River County, South Dakota?
4 utilities have service territory in Fall River County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Black Hills Power, Inc., Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc, Niobrara Electric Assn, Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Black Hills Power, Inc., charged residential customers 14.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Fall River County?
1 operating plant with 80 MW of capacity. The largest is Fall River Solar, LLC (80 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Fall River County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Fall River County.
Is Fall River County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,506 jobs in 2025 against 2,451 in 2019 (+2.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 80 to 100.
Does Fall River County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fall River County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.