Electric companies in Pennington County, South Dakota
Pennington County, SD ranks 2 of 66 South Dakota counties for the lowest home energy burden (2.2% of income). Pennington County in South Dakota has 112,081 residents and 3 utilities listed by EIA, with home prices of 14.25 to 14.76 cents per kWh.
Pennington County on the map
Pennington County darker: more storm events
Cost of living with electricity in Pennington County
Pennington County, SD: electricity $1,271 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,895, 2.2% of $85,344 income. 44,829 households in Pennington County, SD spend about $57.0 million a year on electricity and $85.0 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Pennington County, SD ($18,560 a year) spend 7.2% of income, 3.3 times the all-home figure.
Energy burden in Pennington County, SD
| Pennington County, SD | Homes | Income | Power | Gas | Other | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD, all households | 44,829 | $85,344 | $1,271 | $572 | $52 | 2.2% |
| Pennington County, SD, lower income | 11,152 | $18,560 | $861 | $434 | $48 | 7.2% |
| Pennington County, SD, owners | 31,013 | $104,761 | $1,538 | $731 | $72 | 2.2% |
| Pennington County, SD, renters | 13,816 | $41,757 | $672 | $214 | $6 | 2.1% |
Facts about Pennington County
- Residents of Pennington County, SD, ACS 2023
- 112,0812 of 66 South Dakota counties
- Households in Pennington County, SD
- 45,6982.45 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Pennington County, SD
- 69.1%31,568 owner and 14,130 renter households
- Median household income in Pennington County, SD
- $70,76830 of 66 South Dakota counties
- Housing units in Pennington County, SD
- 50,6554,957 vacant or seasonal, 9.8% of the units
- Homes heated by electricity in Pennington County, SD
- 32.0%14,629 homes, 40 of 66 South Dakota counties
- Utilities listed for Pennington County, SD
- 33 with a home price: West River Electric Assn Inc, Black Hills Power, Inc., Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc
- Lowest home price in Pennington County, SD
- 14.25 ¢/kWhWest River Electric Assn Inc, 3.5% below the highest
- Highest home price in Pennington County, SD
- 14.76 ¢/kWhBlack Hills Electric Coop, Inc
- Monthly bill gap in Pennington County, SD
- $5between the two at 994 kWh, $61 a year, 0.09% of the Pennington County, SD median income
- ZIP areas touching Pennington County, SD
- 1457701 to 57791
- Outage-linked storm events in Pennington County, SD
- 639NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
- Homes built before 1980 in Pennington County, SD
- 48.1%median year built 1982
- Flood claims in Pennington County, SD
- 38NFIP 2015 to 2025, $324K paid
- Home energy burden in Pennington County, SD
- 2.2%$1,271 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)
Electric utilities in Pennington County
| Utility listed for Pennington County, SD | Type | Home price ¢/kWh | Yearly bill at 994 kWh | Share of Pennington County, SD median income of $70,768 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West River Electric Assn Inc in Pennington County, SD | Cooperative | 14.25 | $1,700 | 2.40% |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. in Pennington County, SD | Investor Owned | 14.37 | $1,714 | 2.42% |
| Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc in Pennington County, SD | Cooperative | 14.76 | $1,761 | 2.49% |
Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price.
Bill and heat pump calculator, Pennington County
Compare Pennington County with its neighbours
- Meade County sits 11 miles north of Pennington County, SD with 30,297 residents, 573 storm events, median home built 1989, energy burden 2.6%, income $74,161.
- Oglala Lakota County sits 50 miles south of Pennington County, SD with 13,587 residents, 189 storm events, median home built 1987, energy burden 6.5%, income $34,769.
- Custer County sits 50 miles southwest of Pennington County, SD with 8,686 residents, 303 storm events, median home built 1990, energy burden 2.7%, income $81,958.
- Haakon County sits 52 miles northeast of Pennington County, SD with 1,708 residents, 233 storm events, median home built 1971, energy burden 4.6%, income $59,231.
- Ziebach County sits 56 miles northeast of Pennington County, SD with 2,410 residents, 186 storm events, median home built 1987, energy burden 4.0%, income $47,333.
Outage risk in Pennington County
Pennington County, SD, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 639 in all, 570.1 per 100,000 residents of 112,081, rank 1 of 66 South Dakota counties. Property damage in Pennington County, SD: $511K, with 2 direct injuries or deaths.
Events by year in Pennington County, SD
events a year, Pennington County, SD
- 52'15
- 71'16
- 55'17
- 59'18
- 58'19
- 85'20
- 68'21
- 53'22
- 35'23
- 55'24
- 48'25
Events by type
| Pennington County, SD | FEMA | Score | Rank | Events | Peak | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD, thunderstorm and high wind | Relatively Low | 30.4 | 28 of 66 | 466 | 2020 (61) | $21K |
| Pennington County, SD, tornado | Relatively Low | 61.0 | 15 of 66 | 4 | 2019 (3) | $100K |
| Pennington County, SD, ice storm | Relatively High | 82.6 | 5 of 66 | 0 | none | $0 |
| Pennington County, SD, winter storm and heavy snow | Relatively High | 94.6 | 4 of 66 | 169 | 2018 (29) | $390K |
| Pennington County, SD, heat wave | Relatively Low | 59.6 | 3 of 66 | 0 | none | $0 |
Pennington County, SD, no score or events: hurricane and tropical storm.
Housing and heating in Pennington County
Pennington County, SD: 24,375 of 50,655 homes were built before 1980 and 14,612 in 2000 or later. Pennington County, SD has 31,552 detached houses, 8,571 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 4,938 mobile homes, and 14,130 of 45,698 households rent.
Age of homes in Pennington County, SD
% of homes by decade built, Pennington County, SD
- 7pre-40
- 340s
- 1350s
- 860s
- 1870s
- 1180s
- 1290s
- 1600s
- 1110s
- 220+
Heating fuel in Pennington County, SD
| Pennington County, SD | Value | State median | Gap | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD, median year built | 1982 | 1971 | +11 years | 11 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, built before 1980 | 48.1% | 64.2% | -16.0 points | 56 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, built 2000 or later | 28.8% | 17.1% | +11.7 points | 9 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, detached houses | 62.3% | 77.3% | -15.0 points | 58 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 16.9% | 5.8% | +11.1 points | 7 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, mobile homes | 9.7% | 8.0% | +1.8 points | 28 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, renter households | 30.9% | 24.9% | +6.1 points | 18 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, median home value | $270,400 | $156,450 | +$113,950 | 5 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, median gross rent a month | $1,066 | $730 | +$336 | 4 of 66 |
| Pennington County, SD, people per household | 2.37 | 2.41 | -0.04 | 38 of 66 |
Flood claims and flood insurance in Pennington County
Pennington County, SD: 38 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $324K paid, median paid claim $7,236.
253 of 40,123 residential structures in Pennington County, SD carry an NFIP contract. 331 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Pennington County, SD on 8 Sep 2026.
Pennington County, SD: claims history, not an outage count.
Flood claims by year in Pennington County, SD
flood claims a year, Pennington County, SD
- 16'15
- 0'16
- <5'17
- 5'18
- 14'19
- 0'20
- <5'21
- 0'22
- <5'23
- 0'24
- 0'25
| Pennington County, SD | Value | Median county | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD, claims 2015-2025 | 38 | — | 5 of 22 |
| Pennington County, SD, paid 2015-2025 | $324K | — | 12 of 22 |
| Pennington County, SD, median paid claim | $7,236 | — | — |
| Pennington County, SD, claims per 1,000 homes | 0.9 | 1.9 | 19 of 22 |
| Pennington County, SD, homes with flood insurance | 0.6% | 0.3% | 11 of 47 |
| Pennington County, SD, policies in force | 331 | — | — |
| Pennington County, SD, repetitive-loss properties | <5 | — | — |
Pennington County, SD: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.
Pennington County: flood claims by state, flood hub.
Analyst note on Pennington County
Pennington County, SD counts 112,081 residents in 45,698 households. Pennington County, SD touches 14 ZIP areas, 57701 to 57791, about 8,006 residents each. Household income in Pennington County, SD is $70,768; 31,568 of its 45,698 households own.
14,629 of the 45,698 homes in Pennington County, SD heat with electricity. Pennington County, SD has 50,655 housing units, 4,957 (9.8%) vacant or seasonal, and 14,130 rented homes. Pennington County, SD logged 639 storm events for its 112,081 residents.
The median home in Pennington County, SD dates from 1982. Homes in Pennington County, SD pay $1,271 a year for electricity. Pennington County, SD home prices run West River Electric Assn Inc to Black Hills Electric Coop, Inc, $5 a month apart at 994 kWh.
Cities in Pennington County
- Rapid City electricity rates76,836 residents
ZIP codes in Pennington County
- 57701
- 57702
- 57703
- 57719
- 57725
- 57744
- 57745
- 57751
- 57761
- 57767
- 57775
- 57780
- 57790
- 57791
South Dakota: home prices since 2001, planned plants. 98 MW planned in this county.
Questions on Pennington County
Pennington County, SD: what do homes pay for electricity?
Pennington County, SD homes paid 14.25 to 14.76 cents per kWh in 2024 across 3 listed utilities: $142 to $147 a month at 994 kWh, 2.40% to 2.49% of Pennington County, SD income.
Pennington County, SD: how many homes heat with electricity?
Pennington County, SD: 14,629 of 45,698 occupied homes, 32.0%, rank 40 of 66.
Pennington County, SD: median household income?
$70,768 in Pennington County, SD, rank 30 of 66; 112,081 residents, 45,698 households.
Pennington County, SD: outage-linked storms since 2015?
Pennington County, SD: 639 NWS events, peak year 2020.
Pennington County, SD: flood insurance claims since 2015?
Pennington County, SD: 38 NFIP flood claims, $324K paid, 0.9 per 1,000 homes, 0.6% of homes insured.
How old are the homes in Pennington County, SD?
Pennington County, SD: median home built 1982; 48.1% predate 1980, 62.3% detached, 16.9% in 5+ unit buildings.
Pennington County, SD: share of income for energy?
Pennington County, SD homes spend $1,271 a year on electricity, $1,895 on all energy: 2.2% of $85,344; 7.2% for lower incomes.