Spink County, South Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Redfield
No data center or power plant project is on record in Spink County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Spink County is home to Redfield. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. NorthWestern Energy - (SD) is the largest utility serving Spink County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Spink County
Spink County is home to Redfield.
And 7 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Camrose Colony, Clark Colony, Glendale Colony, Hillside Colony, Mansfield, Spink 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 Spink County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 6,343 | 6,155 | ▼ 3.0% | 29th of 66 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,355 | 2,371 | ▲ 0.7% | 42nd of 66 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,825 | $52,374 | ▲ 34.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 2,371 jobs in 2025, up 0.7% from 2019. 6,155 people live here, down 3.0% since 2020.
Who powers Spink County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +8 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Spink 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% |
| Northern Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,757 | 11.29¢ | 18% |
| Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,224 | 15.30¢ | 18% |
| Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Region Electric Assn, Inc - (SD) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 8 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Solar, LLC | Redfield Energy, LLC | Solar | 8 MW | 2024 |
The Spink County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,371 | $52,374 | 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 Spink County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Spink County. South Dakota has 4 local measures on record statewide.
Spink County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Spink County, Brown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spink County | 6,155 | ▲ 0.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Beadle County | 19,624 | ▼ 1.5% | 69 MW | — | — | — |
| Brown County | 37,561 | ▼ 4.0% | 327 MW | 32 MW | — | — |
| Clark County | 4,031 | ▲ 14.7% | 222 MW | — | — | — |
| Day County | 5,484 | ▲ 4.6% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Edmunds County | 4,022 | ▲ 5.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Faulk County | 2,178 | ▲ 11.3% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Hand County | 3,121 | ▲ 4.7% | 226 MW | — | — | — |
More of South Dakota
Spink County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Spink County, South Dakota?
6 utilities have service territory in Spink County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NorthWestern Energy - (SD), Northern Electric Coop, Inc, Dakota Energy Coop Inc, Codington-Clark Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, NorthWestern Energy - (SD), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Spink County?
1 operating plant with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is RE Solar, LLC (8 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Spink County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Spink County.
Is Spink County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,371 jobs in 2025 against 2,355 in 2019 (+0.7%, BLS QCEW).
Does Spink County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Spink County. South Dakota has 4 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.