Since 1989 there has been deregulation of the market in South Dakota. The state has six investor-owned utilities:
- Black Hills Energy
- MidAmerican Energy
- Montana-Dakota Utilities
- NorthWestern Energy
- Otter Tail Power
- Xcel Energy
As of 2021, South Dakota residents could see the highest natural gas prices in 10 years this winter. The natural gas utility companies that are forecasting this price increase include MidAmerican Energy Co., Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. and NorthWestern Energy.
Below are the October prices for residential and industrial natural gas in the state.
| State | Latest rate (dollars/thousand cubic feet) | Rank | % Change |
| South Dakota residential | 18.19 | 16 | 24.0 |
| South Dakota industrial | 9.31 | 16.7 | |
| US average residential | 19.94 | 12.5 | |
| US average industrial | 4.73 | 14.0 |