# Hyde County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Stephan Hyde 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. Hyde County is home to Highmore. Unemployment was 1.3% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. 450 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 491 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind, the 6th largest fleet in South Dakota. Employers here counted 546 jobs in 2025, down 2.7% from 2019. 491 MW of operating power plants, mostly wind -2.7% total jobs since 2019, now 546 12.56¢ per kWh for NorthWestern Energy - (SD) residential customers, 2024 ## Cities and towns in Hyde County Hyde County is home to Highmore. Highmore634 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Stephan. 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 Hyde County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,248 | 1,191 | ▼ 4.6% | 65th of 66 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 561 | 546 | ▼ 2.7% | 51st of 66 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,794 | $55,388 | ▲ 39.2% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 1.3% | ▼ 1.4pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 450 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | NorthWestern Energy - (SD) is the largest utility serving Hyde County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024. 1,191 people live here, down 4.6% since 2020. ## Who powers Hyde County ### Utilities with service territory in Hyde 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% | | Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,224 | 15.30¢ | 18% | | 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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Wind | 491 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Triple H Wind Project | Engie North America | Wind | 250 MW | 2020 | | North Bend Wind Project, LLC | North Bend Wind Project, LLC | Wind | 200 MW | 2023 | | South Dakota Wind Energy Cente | FPL Energy South Dakota Wind LLC | Wind | 40 MW | 2003 | ## The Hyde County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 546 | $55,388 | 1.00 | | Construction | 23 | $54,878 | 0.80 | 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 Hyde County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Hyde County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide. ## Hyde County and its neighbors Of the 7 counties that border Hyde County, Hughes 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Hyde County | 1,191 | ▼ 2.7% | 491 MW | — | — | — | | Buffalo County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/buffalo-county) | 1,802 | ▲ 8.2% | 538 MW | — | — | — | | Faulk County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/faulk-county) | 2,178 | ▲ 11.3% | 3 MW | — | — | — | | Hand County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/hand-county) | 3,121 | ▲ 4.7% | 226 MW | — | — | — | | Hughes County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/hughes-county) | 17,570 | ▲ 0.7% | 787 MW | — | — | — | | Lyman County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/lyman-county) | 3,694 | ▼ 2.2% | — | — | — | — | | Potter County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/potter-county) | 2,377 | ▲ 2.2% | — | — | — | — | | Sully County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/sully-county) | 1,479 | ▼ 9.1% | — | — | — | — | ## More of South Dakota [All South Dakota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota)[Hughes County17,570 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/hughes-county)[Lyman County3,694 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/lyman-county)[Hand County3,121 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/hand-county)[Potter County2,377 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/potter-county)[Faulk County2,178 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/faulk-county) ## Hyde County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Hyde County, South Dakota? 3 utilities have service territory in Hyde County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NorthWestern Energy - (SD), Dakota Energy Coop Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, NorthWestern Energy - (SD), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Hyde County? 3 operating plants with 491 MW of capacity. The largest is Triple H Wind Project (250 MW, wind). ### Are there data centers in Hyde County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Hyde County. ### Is Hyde County adding jobs? Employers counted 546 jobs in 2025 against 561 in 2019 (-2.7%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Hyde County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Hyde County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/hyde-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).