Montana-Dakota Utilities Co electricity rates
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co charges an average of 14.59 cents per kilowatt-hour to residential customers, and the average household on its system paid $122 a month using 833 kilowatt-hours, according to its 2024 filing with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Investor-owned utility MISO South Dakota
Where Montana-Dakota Utilities Co sits
It is a smaller system, serving 6,367 residential customers, which means its fixed costs are spread across a narrow base. Its 14.59¢ per kilowatt-hour sits 7.2% below the South Dakota average of 15.73¢.
Consumption is close to the national norm at 833 kilowatt-hours a month against 871, so the rate translates fairly directly into the bill.
A shareholder-owned company whose rates are set by the state regulator, including an approved return on the capital it has invested. That matters because a bill is not only the cost of generating electricity: it also carries the cost of the network, and who owns that network changes how it is paid for.
| Rate | Monthly bill | Monthly kWh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | 14.59¢ | $122 | 833 |
| South Dakota average | 15.73¢ | $138 | 981 |
| United States average | 18.44¢ | $155 | 871 |
Utility figures: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024. State and national figures: Electric Power Monthly, May 2026. Methodology
Where Montana-Dakota Utilities Co delivers
Its service territory covers 13 South Dakota counties, either wholly or in part. Utility boundaries follow historic franchise agreements rather than county lines, so a county appearing here does not mean every address in it is served by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.
- Brown
- Campbell
- Corson
- Day
- Edmunds
- Faulk
- Grant
- Harding
- McPherson
- Perkins
- Potter
- Roberts
- Walworth
How often the power goes out
In 2024 the average Montana-Dakota Utilities Co customer went 154 minutes without electricity across 1.44 interruptions. The median across the 941 utilities that report this is 185 minutes.
That is better than the typical American utility, though the figure includes major storm days and can move sharply from one year to the next.
Other South Dakota utilities
| Utility | Rate | Bill | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 13.87¢ | $103 | 92,204 |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | 14.37¢ | $110 | 60,951 |
| Central Electric Coop, Inc | 13.64¢ | $201 | 6,483 |
| City of Pierre | 10.65¢ | $94 | 6,126 |
| Northern Electric Coop, Inc | 11.29¢ | $226 | 5,757 |
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co rates: common questions
How much does Montana-Dakota Utilities Co charge per kilowatt-hour?
An average of 14.59 cents per kilowatt-hour across its residential customers in 2024. That is -7.2% against the South Dakota average of 15.73¢ and -20.9% against the national average of 18.44¢. It is an all-in average across every residential rate schedule the utility offers, not a specific tariff.
What is the average Montana-Dakota Utilities Co bill?
$122 a month, based on total residential revenue divided by residential customers over the 2024 survey year, at an average of 833 kWh a month. The national average bill is $155 at 871 kWh.
Who owns Montana-Dakota Utilities Co?
It is classified by the EIA as a investor-owned utility. A shareholder-owned company whose rates are set by the state regulator, including an approved return on the capital it has invested.
Is Montana-Dakota Utilities Co expensive compared with other South Dakota utilities?
It ranks #3 of the 20 South Dakota utilities covered here, counting from the most expensive. Nationally it ranks #479 of 1369.