South Dakota Electricity Prices

South Dakota sits mid-pack — 15.73¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 31st-highest of 51 and 19.0% below the national benchmark.

At South Dakota's May 2026 average of 15.73¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,652 a year — around $138 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $386 gap between the two published averages, less for South Dakota, not a bill either way.

Over the full EIA series the South Dakota jurisdiction average has risen 141% since January 2001, from 6.52¢ to 15.73¢ in May 2026 — a compound 3.5% per year. Month-to-month movement has been about typical for a reporting jurisdiction.

Yes. The May 2026 average of 15.73¢ per kilowatt-hour is the highest monthly figure South Dakota has recorded across the EIA series, which begins in January 2001. The previous floor for the jurisdiction was 6.52¢ in January 2001.

September. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for South Dakota, 2001 through 2025, September runs highest relative to its own year and January runs lowest — a swing of roughly 18.4 percentage points.

Among South Dakota and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Nebraska posts the lowest average at 13.59¢ and Minnesota the highest at 16.95¢. South Dakota ranks 4th of 5 in the group, at 15.73¢.

Almost certainly not exactly, and this is the one caveat that governs every figure on this page. The published value is the EIA residential average across every utility and residential rate class in South Dakota for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 12.51¢ in December 2025 and 15.73¢ in May 2026. Your own rate depends on your utility, tariff, usage tier, time-of-use schedule, and fixed monthly charges, none of which this index models. Read your bill for the rate that applies to you.