South Dakota Ranks 19th for Data Center Grid Pressure
A Wolfstone Digital study scored South Dakota 22.1 out of 100 on data-center pressure on the electric grid.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Data Centers
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Wolfstone Digital ranked South Dakota 19th nationally for data-center pressure on the electric grid, scoring it 22.1 out of 100. The study identified 17 data centers and data-center projects in the state, eight of them operational.
Why it matters
Growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing has increased demand for data-center space and electricity, which places pressure on state power systems. For South Dakota, the study's findings point to how new facilities could affect electricity use across the state.
The study's seven factors include operational and planned data-center counts, power capacity against statewide use, and electricity sales growth, which rose 7.6% from 2019 to 2025. Whether the nine planned or under-construction projects will be completed on schedule is not addressed.
The players
Wolfstone Digital
Wolfstone Digital is the research organization that produced the study ranking states on data-center pressure on their electric grids.
U.S. Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration is the federal statistical agency within the Department of Energy that publishes data on energy production, consumption and prices.
The details
Wolfstone Digital based its rankings on seven factors, including operational and planned data-center counts, power capacity compared with statewide electricity use, electricity sales growth, electricity price changes, and power outage duration. Researchers drew on information from Data Center Map and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Timeline
2019 to 2025: South Dakota electricity sales increased 7.6%.
2025: South Dakota customers averaged 268.5 minutes of power interruptions.
November 14, 2026: Wolfstone Digital published the study ranking South Dakota 19th.
Tech Race
The study measures how data-center demand from AI and cloud computing is being distributed across states, as tracked alongside U.S. Energy Information Administration electricity-sales data. Its ranking places South Dakota within a national contest over which states can host new computing capacity without straining their power systems.
Electricity sales growth and the 268.5 minutes of average power interruptions in 2025 are the figures South Dakota households and businesses are most likely to feel. Rising grid demand from new facilities could affect the reliability and cost of service for ordinary customers.
The takeaway
Data-center growth is now a grid planning question as well as a technology question, and states with rising electricity sales and outage times face the most immediate pressure. Residents can track their state's power reliability and utility planning decisions as new facilities move forward.
Further reading
Explore more on Data Centers and how computing demand is reshaping state power planning.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kotatv.
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