Employer · plans filed under one EIN
Black Hills Corporation
Rapid City, SD · Utilities
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances.
Black Hills Corporation, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, sponsors 2 retirement plans with 100 or more participants: 1 defined contribution and 1 defined benefit. Together they reported 5,325 participant records and $1.21B in net assets.
The largest is Black Hills Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, a 401(k) plan with 3,686 participants. A person can be counted in more than one plan, so the participant total is a count of records rather than of people.
Employer contributions across the plans were $29.9M and participant contributions $33.3M in the latest plan years; benefits paid were $120M. Schedule C compensation reported to service provider organisations totalled $1.4M.
Combined net assets moved from $244M in 2009 to $934M in 2025 (up 282%). Plan mergers and spin-offs show up here as steps in the series.
Plans
| Plan | Kind | Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hills Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | 401(k) plan | 2025 | 3,686 | $934M | $253,319 | $10,079 | $197K |
| Black Hills Retirement Plan | cash balance pension plan | 2024 | 1,639 | $272M | $165,832 | $2,875 | $1.2M |
| US median, plan year 2024: DC plans $53,102 per participant, $2,175 employer contribution per active participant; DB plans $86,221 and $10,244. | |||||||
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans | Participant records | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 3,686 | $934M | $28.1M | $33.3M |
| 2024 | 2 | 5,338 | $1.08B | $29.7M | $33.3M |
| 2023 | 2 | 5,560 | $1.04B | $31.5M | $31.9M |
| 2022 | 2 | 5,834 | $938M | $27.2M | $30.2M |
| 2021 | 2 | 5,866 | $1.18B | $26.6M | $29.5M |
| 2020 | 2 | 6,111 | $1.12B | $25.2M | $27.3M |
| 2019 | 2 | 6,276 | $999M | $36.6M | $25.0M |
| 2018 | 2 | 6,767 | $853M | $34.2M | $23.2M |
| 2017 | 2 | 5,745 | $902M | $28.9M | $17.2M |
| 2016 | 2 | 5,753 | $702M | $42.9M | $16.2M |
| 2015 | 2 | 4,235 | $458M | $23.4M | $15.8M |
| 2014 | 2 | 4,047 | $455M | $23.4M | $14.4M |
| 2013 | 2 | 4,264 | $415M | $17.9M | $13.1M |
| 2012 | 2 | 4,533 | $365M | $19.4M | $13.4M |
| 2011 | 2 | 4,670 | $315M | $23.3M | $13.1M |
| 2010 | 2 | 4,731 | $296M | $20.5M | $12.1M |
| 2009 | 2 | 4,809 | $244M | $17.8M | $6.3M |
History of the plans listed above, in the years each filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants. Plans that have since terminated are not included.
Service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Plans | Compensation reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aon Consulting | Consulting (general) | 1 | $720,752 |
| Aon Investments USA Inc. | Consulting (general) | 1 | $335,970 |
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services Inc. | Recordkeeping and information management; Investment advisory (participants) | 1 | $102,454 |
| Thompson Hine LLP | Accounting (including auditing); Legal | 2 | $62,485 |
| The Northern Trust Company | Trustee (bank, trust company, or similar financial institution) | 1 | $56,284 |
| Deloitte & Touche LLP | Accounting (including auditing) | 1 | $54,201 |
| JP Morgan Investment Managment Inc. | Investment advisory (plan); Investment management | 1 | $26,219 |
| Avantax Planning Partners Inc. | Investment advisory (participants) | 1 | $18,999 |
| Evergreen Private Wealth LLC | Investment advisory (participants) | 1 | $15,430 |
| Optima Capital Management LLC | Investment advisory (participants) | 1 | $10,347 |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. | Securities brokerage | 1 | $10,338 |
| Financial Engines Advisors LLC | Investment advisory (participants) | 1 | $5,866 |
Organisations paid $5,000 or more by any of these plans, from Schedule C. Individuals are not shown.
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans does Black Hills Corporation have?
2 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 under its employer identification number for the latest plan years: Black Hills Corporation 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan and Black Hills Retirement Plan. Smaller plans and plans filed under a subsidiary's number are not grouped here.
How much does Black Hills Corporation contribute to its plans?
$29,850,699 in employer contributions across these plans in their latest plan years, about $8,756 per active participant record. Form 5500 reports totals and not the match or accrual formula.
Who provides services to these plans?
Schedule C filings name Aon Consulting, Aon Investments USA Inc., Schwab Retirement Plan Services Inc. and Thompson Hine LLP and others. Only organisations paid $5,000 or more by a plan are listed on Schedule C.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports filed with the Department of Labor's EFAST2 system, from the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Figures are as filed and may be amended.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Plans are grouped by the sponsor's employer identification number exactly as filed; a company that files under several EINs appears as several employers. See the methodology and corrections.