Grant County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Milbank
Grant County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Grant County is home to Milbank and Alban Township. Construction employs 276, up 14.0% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 458 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 915 MW of capacity, 50% of it wind, the largest fleet in South Dakota. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Grant County
Grant County is home to Milbank and Alban Township.
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 Grant County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 7,537 | 7,534 | ● 0.0% | 23rd of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,839 | 3,744 | ▼ 2.5% | 49th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,497 | $56,495 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 242 | 276 | ▲ 14.0% | 19th of 31 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 458 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 3,744 jobs in 2025, down 2.5% from 2019. Otter Tail Power Co is the largest utility serving Grant County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 10.93¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.48¢ median for South Dakota utilities. 7,534 people live here, down 0.0% since 2020.
Who powers Grant County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +458 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Grant County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 9,048 | 10.93¢ | 78% |
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 6,367 | 14.59¢ | 48% |
| City of Big Stone City - (SD) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| H-D Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Whetstone Valley Elec 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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 458 MW | 50% |
| Coal | 450 MW | 49% |
| Petroleum | 7 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Stone | Otter Tail Power Co | Coal | 451 MW | 1975 |
| Dakota Range Wind | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Wind | 304 MW | 2022 |
| Dakota Range III Wind Project | Engie North America | Wind | 154 MW | 2021 |
| Valley Queen Cheese | Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc. | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2002 |
| State Auto Insurance | SLB Milbank LLC | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2001 |
The Grant County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,744 | $56,495 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 276 | $66,983 | 1.39 |
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 Grant County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Grant County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Grant County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Grant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County | 7,534 | ▼ 2.5% | 915 MW | — | — | — |
| Big Stone County MN | 5,054 | ▲ 3.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Codington County | 29,562 | ▲ 6.3% | 468 MW | — | — | — |
| Day County | 5,484 | ▲ 4.6% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Deuel County | 4,408 | ▲ 14.4% | 803 MW | 145 MW | — | — |
| Lac qui Parle County MN | 6,704 | ▼ 3.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Roberts County | 10,255 | ▼ 4.7% | — | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Grant County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Grant County, South Dakota?
7 utilities have service territory in Grant County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Otter Tail Power Co, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, City of Big Stone City - (SD), Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Otter Tail Power Co, charged residential customers 10.93¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Grant County?
5 operating plants with 915 MW of capacity. The largest is Big Stone (451 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Grant County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Grant County.
Is Grant County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,744 jobs in 2025 against 3,839 in 2019 (-2.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 242 to 276.
Does Grant County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Grant County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.