Lawrence County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Spearfish, Lead and Deadwood
Lawrence 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. Lawrence County is home to Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood and Whitewood. Employers here counted 13,691 jobs in 2025, up 14.2% from 2019 (the 7th fastest growth of 66 South Dakota counties). Next door, Pennington County has 2 data centers. Construction employs 872, up 4.1% since 2019. 29,459 people live here, up 14.0% since 2020, 8th of 66 South Dakota counties by population.
Cities and towns in Lawrence County
Lawrence County is home to Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood and Whitewood.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Boulder Canyon, Crook City, Mountain Plains, North Spearfish, St. Onge.
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 Lawrence County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 25,847 | 29,459 | ▲ 14.0% | 8th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,988 | 13,691 | ▲ 14.2% | 7th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,280 | $50,959 | ▲ 33.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 838 | 872 | ▲ 4.1% | 24th of 31 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 1.9% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Unemployment was 1.9% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Black Hills Power, Inc. is the largest utility serving Lawrence County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.37¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.48¢ median for South Dakota utilities.
Who powers Lawrence County
Utilities with service territory in Lawrence 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% |
| Butte 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 4 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearfish Hydro | City of Spearfish - (SD) | Hydro | 4 MW | 1912 |
The Lawrence County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,691 | $50,959 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 872 | $64,292 | 1.20 |
| Data processing and hosting | 10 | $132,563 | 0.24 |
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 Lawrence County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lawrence County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Lawrence County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Lawrence County, Pennington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County | 29,459 | ▲ 14.2% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Butte County | 10,856 | ▲ 3.2% | 105 MW | — | — | — |
| Crook County WY | 7,852 | ▲ 10.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Meade County | 30,711 | ▲ 22.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Pennington County | 116,792 | ▲ 8.8% | 278 MW | 100 MW | 2 | — |
| Weston County WY | 6,840 | ▲ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Lawrence County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lawrence County, South Dakota?
3 utilities have service territory in Lawrence County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Black Hills Power, Inc., Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc, Butte Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Black Hills Power, Inc., charged residential customers 14.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Spearfish, SD in?
Spearfish is in Lawrence County, South Dakota. About 14,154 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lawrence County?
1 operating plant with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is Spearfish Hydro (4 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Lawrence County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lawrence County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Pennington County.
Is Lawrence County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,691 jobs in 2025 against 11,988 in 2019 (+14.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 838 to 872.
Does Lawrence County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lawrence County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.