Faulk County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Blumengard Colony and Brentwood Colony
No data center or power plant project is on record in Faulk County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Faulk County is home to Faulkton. Employers here counted 668 jobs in 2025, up 11.3% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 66 South Dakota counties). Its power plants have 3 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. NorthWestern Energy - (SD) is the largest utility serving Faulk County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Faulk County
Faulk County is home to Faulkton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Blumengard Colony, Brentwood Colony, Evergreen Colony, Thunderbird 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 Faulk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,128 | 2,178 | ▲ 2.3% | 57th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 600 | 668 | ▲ 11.3% | 10th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $34,627 | $45,410 | ▲ 31.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
2,178 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Faulk County
Utilities with service territory in Faulk 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% |
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 6,367 | 14.59¢ | 48% |
| Northern Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,757 | 11.29¢ | 18% |
| Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,224 | 15.30¢ | 18% |
| FEM Electric Assn, 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faulkton | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) | Petroleum | 3 MW | 1969 |
The Faulk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 668 | $45,410 | 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 Faulk County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Faulk County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Faulk County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Faulk County, Hyde 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faulk County | 2,178 | ▲ 11.3% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Brown County | 37,561 | ▼ 4.0% | 327 MW | 32 MW | — | — |
| Edmunds County | 4,022 | ▲ 5.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Hand County | 3,121 | ▲ 4.7% | 226 MW | — | — | — |
| Hyde County | 1,191 | ▼ 2.7% | 491 MW | — | — | — |
| Potter County | 2,377 | ▲ 2.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Spink County | 6,155 | ▲ 0.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Faulk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Faulk County, South Dakota?
5 utilities have service territory in Faulk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NorthWestern Energy - (SD), Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Northern Electric Coop, Inc, Dakota Energy Coop Inc. The largest, NorthWestern Energy - (SD), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Faulk County?
1 operating plant with 3 MW of capacity. The largest is Faulkton (3 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Faulk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Faulk County.
Is Faulk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 668 jobs in 2025 against 600 in 2019 (+11.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Faulk County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Faulk County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.