Pennington County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Rapid City and Box Elder
The data center boom is not abstract in Pennington County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Pennington County, 18% of South Dakota's total. Pennington County is home to Rapid City, most of Box Elder (8,895 of its 13,936 residents), Hill City and Wall. Construction employs 4,969, up 31.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Electrical contractors employ 573, up 54.4% since 2019 against up 38.0% statewide, at an average $76,688 a year. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 6 units, led by Black Hills Power, Inc. (natural gas), the 2nd largest pipeline among South Dakota's counties. 100 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Pennington County
Pennington County is home to Rapid City, most of Box Elder (8,895 of its 13,936 residents), Hill City and Wall.
- Box Elder also extends into Meade County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ashland Heights, Caputa, Colonial Pine Hills, Green Valley, Johnson Siding, Rapid Valley.
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 Pennington County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 109,570 | 116,792 | ▲ 6.6% | 2nd of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 57,372 | 62,445 | ▲ 8.8% | 14th of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,649 | $59,768 | ▲ 36.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,776 | 4,969 | ▲ 31.6% | 10th of 31 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 371 | 573 | ▲ 54.4% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 148 | 248 | ▲ 67.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 150 | 145 | ▼ 3.3% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18 | 41 | ▲ 127.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 128 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 36% of today's fleet | 2nd of 5 by size |
Employers here counted 62,445 jobs in 2025, up 8.8% from 2019. Owners plan to retire 108 MW more by 2035, led by Ben French in 2027. 128 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 278 MW of capacity, 50% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Black Hills Power, Inc. is the largest utility serving Pennington 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. 116,792 people live here, up 6.6% since 2020, 2nd of 66 South Dakota counties by population.
Who powers Pennington County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +128 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Pennington 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% |
| West River Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,423 | 14.25¢ | 30% |
| Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,227 | 14.76¢ | 22% |
| 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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 140 MW | 50% |
| Solar | 128 MW | 46% |
| Petroleum | 10 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Springs | Geronimo Power | Solar | 128 MW | 2024 |
| Ben French | Black Hills Power, Inc. | Petroleum | 110 MW | 1965 |
| Lange Generating Station | Black Hills Power, Inc. | Natural gas | 40 MW | 2002 |
Planned generation 6
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| Lange Generating Station | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 17 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben French | Natural gas | 100 MW | 2027 |
| Ben French | Petroleum | 8 MW | 2027 |
The Pennington County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 62,445 | $59,768 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,969 | $72,828 | 1.50 |
| Electrical contractors | 573 | $76,688 | 1.27 |
| Power and communication line construction | 248 | $107,502 | 2.46 |
| Electric utilities | 145 | $116,939 | 0.86 |
| Data processing and hosting | 41 | $118,410 | 0.21 |
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 Pennington County
2 data centers in Pennington County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Pennington County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Pennington County, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County | 116,792 | ▲ 8.8% | 278 MW | 100 MW | 2 | — |
| Custer County | 9,431 | ▲ 10.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Haakon County | 1,802 | ▲ 9.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 2,666 | ▼ 2.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County | 29,459 | ▲ 14.2% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Meade County | 30,711 | ▲ 22.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,338 | ▲ 3.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Weston County WY | 6,840 | ▲ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Ziebach County | 2,389 | ▼ 10.7% | — | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Pennington County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pennington County, South Dakota?
4 utilities have service territory in Pennington County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Black Hills Power, Inc., West River Electric Assn Inc, Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Black Hills Power, Inc., charged residential customers 14.37¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Rapid City, SD in?
Rapid City is in Pennington County, South Dakota. About 80,589 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Pennington County?
3 operating plants with 278 MW of capacity. The largest is Wild Springs (128 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Pennington County?
100 MW across 6 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 100 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Black Hills Power, Inc..
Are there data centers in Pennington County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Pennington County.
Is Pennington County adding jobs?
Employers counted 62,445 jobs in 2025 against 57,372 in 2019 (+8.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,776 to 4,969.
Does Pennington County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pennington County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.