Power Supply Chain and Demand in Iowa
MISO runs most of Iowa's grid. 1,064 MW of new generation is planned in Iowa, 302 MW of it under construction or built and awaiting operation, against 159 MW of planned retirements through 2030. 85 data centers are identified in the state. Residential electricity averaged 14.20¢/kWh in 2026 through July, +5.0% from a year earlier. Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, and construction employment is +10.7% against August 2019. The SAVRN trackers hold 31 local moratoria or restrictions for Iowa across all statuses (27 in force) and 5 named projects on the Delay Watchlist.
What the build-out changed in Iowa
Iowa is in the middle of the pack, with a few sharp signals worth watching. Commercial electricity sales, the class that includes data centers, are +3.1% year to date, 13th in the country. Electrical contractor jobs, the trade every data center, substation and plant needs first, grew 25.6% from 2019 to 2025, 15th in the country. Construction employment is +10.7% against August 2019, 32nd of 48 states where BLS publishes it. Pushback is organized: the SAVRN trackers hold 31 local moratoria or restrictions in Iowa, 14th in the country. Factory employment is the exception: manufacturing jobs are -5.3% against August 2019.
Then and now
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction jobs (Aug 2019 → Aug 2026) | 79.2k | 87.7k | ▲ 10.7% | 32nd of 48 |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,748 | 13,495 | ▲ 25.6% | 15th of 48 |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,424 | 3,245 | ▼ 5.2% | 39th of 44 |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,765 | 3,550 | ▼ 5.7% | 45th of 46 |
| Unemployment rate (Feb 2020 → Aug 2026) | 2.7% | 3.2% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Residential price, ¢/kWh (YTD Jul 2025 → 2026) | 13.52¢ | 14.20¢ | ▲ 5.0% | 36th of 51 |
| Generation fleet → planned additions | 24.9 GW operating | 1.1 GW planned | 4% of fleet | 46th of 51 |
Where Iowa ranks among 51
1st = the most. Ranks cover every state and DC that publishes the figure.
Regionally, Nebraska leads on commercial electricity sales, ytd change at +20.3%; Iowa is 2nd of 7 in its neighborhood at +3.1%.
County spotlight
Polk County holds the most data centers on record in Iowa (30), and its electrical contractor workforce changed +61.1% since 2019 to 3,535 jobs. The largest share of planned generation sits in Clinton County: 600 MW, led by Hawkeye Solar II, LLC (solar). The fastest-growing electrical trade market is Sioux County, where contractor jobs grew 122.0% to 1,021.
Where Iowa sits in the power system
- Grid operator
- MISO
- Operating capacity
- 24.9 GW
- Planned generation
- 1,064 MW
- Under construction or built
- 302 MW
- Data centers identified
- 85
- Data center load in queues
- —
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.2%
- Residential price change
- +5.0%
Neighboring states are shaded. Select one to open its page.
Iowa, county by county
99 counties in Iowa. Planned generation sits in 6 of them, data centers stand in 21, and local measures are on record in 23. Pick a layer, then select a county for its full record.
County leaders
Counties on record 60
| County | Data centers | Planned MW | Building MW | Lead developer | Electrical contractor jobs | Change 2019–25 | Local measures | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 30 | — | — | — | 3,535 | ▲ 61.1% | — | — | |
| Dallas County | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| Pottawattamie County | 8 | — | — | — | 587 | ▼ 52.1% | — | — | |
| Linn County | 7 | 100 MW | 100 MW | Clenera DevCo LLC | 1,429 | ▲ 13.2% | 2 (2 in force) | 1 | |
| Johnson County | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Scott County | 3 | — | — | — | 1,782 | ▲ 42.7% | — | — | |
| Black Hawk County | 3 | — | — | — | 296 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | |
| Woodbury County | 2 | — | — | — | 556 | ▲ 78.8% | 1 (1 in force) | 1 | |
| Warren County | 2 | — | — | — | 94 | ▲ 30.6% | — | — | |
| Cerro Gordo County | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Jones County | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Muscatine County | 1 | 59 MW | — | Board of Water Electric & Communications | — | — | — | — | |
| Hardin County | 1 | — | — | — | 67 | ▼ 1.5% | — | — | |
| Madison County | 1 | — | — | — | 53 | ▲ 152.4% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Clay County | 1 | — | — | — | 30 | ▲ 15.4% | — | — | |
| Benton County | 1 | — | — | — | 23 | ▲ 27.8% | — | — | |
| Hancock County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (0 in force) | 1 | |
| Marshall County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Buchanan County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Boone County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Dubuque County | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Clinton County | — | 600 MW | 150 MW | Hawkeye Solar II, LLC | 76 | ● 0.0% | — | — | |
| Crawford County | — | 252 MW | — | Silver Queen Wind Farm, LLC | — | — | — | — | |
| Mills County | — | 50 MW | 50 MW | MidAmerican Energy Co | — | — | — | — | |
| Allamakee County | — | 2 MW | 2 MW | OneEnergy, Inc. | — | — | — | — | |
| Sioux County | — | — | — | — | 1,021 | ▲ 122.0% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Jasper County | — | — | — | — | 299 | ▲ 23.6% | — | — | |
| Story County | — | — | — | — | 226 | ▲ 11.9% | — | — | |
| Webster County | — | — | — | — | 219 | ▲ 28.8% | — | — | |
| Winneshiek County | — | — | — | — | 163 | ▲ 39.3% | — | — | |
| Marion County | — | — | — | — | 134 | ▲ 9.8% | — | — | |
| Des Moines County | — | — | — | — | 64 | ▲ 36.2% | — | — | |
| Jefferson County | — | — | — | — | 64 | ▲ 113.3% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Buena Vista County | — | — | — | — | 57 | ▲ 16.3% | — | — | |
| Palo Alto County | — | — | — | — | 55 | — | — | — | |
| Bremer County | — | — | — | — | 53 | ▼ 15.9% | — | — | |
| Hamilton County | — | — | — | — | 47 | ▲ 14.6% | — | — | |
| Jackson County | — | — | — | — | 38 | ▲ 40.7% | — | — | |
| O'Brien County | — | — | — | — | 33 | ▼ 2.9% | — | — | |
| Kossuth County | — | — | — | — | 30 | ▲ 20.0% | — | — | |
| Guthrie County | — | — | — | — | 29 | ▼ 25.6% | — | — | |
| Chickasaw County | — | — | — | — | 27 | ▼ 18.2% | — | — | |
| Iowa County | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Mitchell County | — | — | — | — | 23 | ▼ 8.0% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Clayton County | — | — | — | — | 22 | ▲ 29.4% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Washington County | — | — | — | — | 21 | ▼ 4.5% | — | — | |
| Mahaska County | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | |
| Fayette County | — | — | — | — | 19 | ▼ 32.1% | — | — | |
| Worth County | — | — | — | — | 19 | ▼ 13.6% | — | — | |
| Adair County | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | |
| Louisa County | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | |
| Page County | — | — | — | — | 8 | ▼ 27.3% | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Adams County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Ida County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Henry County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Emmet County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Plymouth County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Clarke County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Dickinson County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | |
| Taylor County | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 (1 in force) | — |
Every county in Iowa 99
Each county has its own page: power plants, utilities and prices, jobs since 2019, data centers, local rules and its neighbors.
Cities and towns on record 30
| City or town | County | Data centers | Local measures | Watchlist | Latest record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Des Moines | Polk County + Dallas County + Warren County | 17 | — | — | — | |
| Altoona | Polk County | 9 | — | — | — | |
| Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | 8 | 1 (0 in force) | — | Council Bluffs (data center moratorium denied), IA data center moratorium (failed) Failed / vetoed | |
| Cedar Rapids | Linn County | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Pleasant Hill | Polk County | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Waukee | Dallas County | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Des Moines | Polk County + Warren County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Urbandale | Polk County + Dallas County | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Bettendorf | Scott County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Cedar Falls | Black Hawk County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Coralville | Johnson County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| North Liberty | Johnson County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Sioux City | Woodbury County | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Dubuque | Dubuque County | 1 | 1 (1 in force) | — | Six-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers In force | |
| Marshalltown | Marshall County | 1 | 1 (1 in force) | — | Local moratorium on data centers through November 23, 2026 In force | |
| Waterloo | Black Hawk County | 1 | 1 (1 in force) | — | Three-month moratorium on data center development In force | |
| Ankeny | Polk County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Davenport | Scott County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Hiawatha | Linn County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Jesup | Buchanan County + Black Hawk County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Klemme | Hancock County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Marion | Linn County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Mason City | Cerro Gordo County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Monticello | Jones County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Muscatine | Muscatine County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Urbana | Benton County | 1 | — | — | — | |
| City of Peosta | Dubuque County | — | 1 (1 in force) | — | Data center moratorium, extended to June 18, 2027 In force | |
| Clinton | Clinton County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Rejected local moratorium on data centers Failed / vetoed | |
| Salix | Woodbury County | — | 1 (0 in force) | — | Rejected one-year data center moratorium Failed / vetoed | |
| Iowa | — | — | — | 1 | Iowa Transparency Bill |
Data center counts come from every facility on the SAVRN Data Center Map, counted in the county and the city or community where each building physically stands (Census boundaries), not its mailing address. Jurisdictions appear as the Moratorium Tracker records them.
Iowa, from generation to the household bill
1Grid operator
- Peak load 2025
- 121 GW
- Peak load forecast 2035
- 163 GW
2Generation pipeline
- Operating capacity
- 24.9 GW
- Planned, all types
- 1,064 MW
- Under construction or built
- 302 MW
- Planned gas
- 35 MW
- Planned retirements 2026–30
- 159 MW
- Net firm additions derived
- 144 MW
3Data center demand
- Data centers identified
- 85
- Operators
- 31
- Load in tracked queues
- —
- Utility large-load projects
- 2
- Commercial sales, YTD change
- +3.1%
- Industry share of state GDP
- 1.4%
4Jobs and pay
- Unemployment, Aug 2026
- 3.2% (-0.3 pts y/y)
- Construction jobs vs 2019
- +10.7%
- Manufacturing jobs vs 2019
- -5.3%
- Electrical contractor jobs 2019–25
- +25.6%
- Electrician median pay
- $60,860
- Electrician ÷ cashier pay
- 2.10×
5Household bill
- Residential price, YTD Jul 2026
- 14.20¢/kWh
- Change vs YTD 2025
- +5.0%
- All-sector price change
- +3.8%
- Total retail sales change
- +4.0%
6Policy friction
- State measures on record
- 5
- Local measures (in force)
- 31 (27)
- Watchlist projects
- 5
- Lawsuits tracked
- 0
- Announced capital, disclosed
- $7.0B
- Dedicated tax incentive
- Yes
Planned power plants in Iowa
Every planned generator in Iowa in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, by technology, then the 15 largest units. Under construction or built covers status codes U, V and TS.
| Technology | Units | Planned MW | Under construction or built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 7 | 776 MW | 302 MW |
| Wind | 1 | 252 MW | — |
| Natural gas | 1 | 35 MW | — |
Largest planned generators
| Plant | County | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Queen Wind Farm | Crawford | Onshore Wind Turbine | 252 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Silver Queen Wind Farm, LLC |
| Hawkeye Solar II, LLC | Clinton | Solar Photovoltaic | 250 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Hawkeye Solar II, LLC |
| Hawkeye Solar, LLC | Clinton | Solar Photovoltaic | 200 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Hawkeye Solar, LLC |
| Rock Creek Solar | Clinton | Solar Photovoltaic | 150 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Rock Creek Solar LLC |
| Coggon Solar LLC | Linn | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |
| Mills Solar Project | Mills | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | MidAmerican Energy Co |
| Muscatine Plant #1 | Muscatine | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 35 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | Board of Water Electric & Communications |
| MPW Solar 1 | Muscatine | Solar Photovoltaic | 24 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | MPW Solar 1, LLC |
| Teeple Creek | Allamakee | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | OneEnergy, Inc. |
What the Iowa build-out runs on
Who is building generation in Iowa, which manufacturers and contractors have a plant, expansion or contract recorded here, and how long the critical equipment takes to arrive.
Developers and owners with planned generation
| Developer or owner | Units | Planned MW | Building MW | Main technology | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Queen Wind Farm, LLC | 1 | 252 MW | — | Wind | 1 |
| Hawkeye Solar II, LLC | 1 | 250 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| Hawkeye Solar, LLC | 1 | 200 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| Rock Creek Solar LLC | 1 | 150 MW | 150 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Clenera DevCo LLC | 1 | 100 MW | 100 MW | Solar | 1 |
| MidAmerican Energy Co | 1 | 50 MW | 50 MW | Solar | 1 |
| Board of Water Electric & Communications | 1 | 35 MW | — | Natural gas | 1 |
| MPW Solar 1, LLC | 1 | 24 MW | — | Solar | 1 |
| OneEnergy, Inc. | 1 | 2 MW | 2 MW | Solar | 1 |
Manufacturers and contractors with a recorded Iowa footprint
No plant, expansion or contract in the manufacturer record names Iowa. The national suppliers below serve every state.
Order-by check derived
3 of the 3 planned units of 50 MW or more in Iowa that are not yet under construction (702 of 702 MW) are past the date their step-up transformer had to be ordered to meet the planned in-service date. These units hold their schedules only if the equipment is already on order.
| Plant | Technology | MW | Planned in service | Transformer order-by | Turbine order-by | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Queen Wind Farm | Wind | 252 MW | Oct 2028 | Sep 2025 | — | Silver Queen Wind Farm, LLC |
| Hawkeye Solar II, LLC | Solar | 250 MW | Mar 2028 | Feb 2025 | — | Hawkeye Solar II, LLC |
| Hawkeye Solar, LLC | Solar | 200 MW | Mar 2028 | Feb 2025 | — | Hawkeye Solar, LLC |
Lead times, OEM backlogs and the national generation and grid contractors are on the national supply chain section.
Data center and large-load demand in Iowa
85 data centers run by 31 operators are identified in Iowa. The full list by city is on the Iowa Data Center Map page. Utilities report 2 large customer projects here to EEI.
| Utility | Customer or type | MW stated | Investment stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliant Energy | — | $576 million | ||
| Alliant Energy | QTS Data Centers | — | $10 billion |
The Iowa jobs report, and who the build-out employs
Payroll employment, August 2026 (preliminary)
| Industry | Jobs | Change vs Aug 2025 | Change vs Aug 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | 1,585.8k | ● 0.0% | ▼ 0.1% (-2.4k) |
| Construction | 87.7k | ▲ 3.8% | ▲ 10.7% (+8.5k) |
| Manufacturing | 214.2k | ▼ 0.3% | ▼ 5.3% (-12.0k) |
| Mining and logging | 2.2k | ● 0.0% | ▼ 8.3% (-0.2k) |
| Retail trade | 171.9k | ▼ 0.3% | ▼ 1.4% (-2.5k) |
Power and data industries, 2019 to 2025
| Industry | Jobs 2019 | Jobs 2025 | Change | Average pay 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data processing and hosting | 3,765 | 3,550 | ▼ 5.7% | $125,759 |
| Electrical contractors | 10,748 | 13,495 | ▲ 25.6% | $82,875 |
| Power and communication line construction | 3,424 | 3,245 | ▼ 5.2% | $102,069 |
| Electric power generation, transmission, distribution | — | 4,678 | — | $124,166 |
| Transformer manufacturing | — | not disclosed | — | — |
Pay ladder, May 2025
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual pay | Multiple of cashier pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashiers | 41,450 | $28,970 | 1.00× |
| Fast food and counter workers | 40,290 | $28,390 | 0.98× |
| Retail salespersons | 41,000 | $31,360 | 1.08× |
| All occupations | 1,559,240 | $48,540 | 1.68× |
| Construction laborers | 13,780 | $48,490 | 1.67× |
| Welders | 9,270 | $55,090 | 1.90× |
| HVAC mechanics | 3,840 | $60,680 | 2.09× |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 5,730 | $63,890 | 2.21× |
| Electricians | 10,310 | $60,860 | 2.10× |
| Power plant operators | 470 | $100,500 | 3.47× |
| Power-line installers | 1,390 | $100,200 | 3.46× |
| Construction supervisors | 9,660 | $78,510 | 2.71× |
| Electrical engineers | 1,280 | $105,820 | 3.65× |
County-level contractor jobs and pay are in the county record above.
What the data center industry adds to Iowa
PwC figures are modeled estimates commissioned by the industry.
State studies and incentive costs
| Economic study findings | Disclosed tax-incentive cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Innovation Solutions (Jan 2026): operations support 9,139 jobs, $1.63B value added, $125M state and local tax; construction 20,057 jobs; $8.5B projects under development | $151.1M (2020, sales and property tax) |
The rules and the pipeline in Iowa
State measures 5
| Bill | Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSB 3181 | A bill for an act making certain sales and use tax exemptions relating to nuclear electric generation facilities, web search portal businesses | Proposed | 2026-04 | |
| HSB 727 | A bill for an act relating to investment requirements for data center businesses that claim certain sales tax exemptions and sales and use tax refunds. | Proposed | 2026-02 | |
| HF 2447 | Iowa HF 2447, proposed by Rep. Cindy Golding (R-Cedar Rapids), creates new reporting requirements and utility rate structures for data centers. | Failed / vetoed | 2026-02 | |
| HF 2198 | A bill for an act relating to the disclosure of tax incentives provided to web search portal businesses and data center businesses, and including effective | Proposed | 2026-01 | |
| HF 976 | Limits data-center sales/use tax exemptions | In force | 2025-06 |
Delay Watchlist projects 5
| Project | Location | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Waukee Data Center (extension) | Waukee, Dallas County | delayed extension requested | — | ||
| Linn County Unincorporated Area Data Center Moratorium | Linn County (unincorporated, near Cedar Rapids) | moratorium in force | — | ||
| MidAmerican Energy Salix Data Center Exploration | Salix, Woodbury County | early stage amid county moratoriums | — | ||
| MCNI Concord Township Data Center Rezoning | Concord Township, Hancock County (near Garner) | delayed | — | ||
| Iowa Transparency Bill | Iowa (statewide) | cancelled | — |
Local moratoria and restrictions (31) appear by county and city in the county-by-county section. Counts include every status in the weekly tracker feeds as of October 5, 2026. The Iowa Data Center Map page counts only active local pauses and delayed or blocked projects as of its September 2 rebuild, so its figures are lower. The difference is one of definition and date.
Iowa's neighbors
Iowa power, answered from the record
How much new power generation is planned in Iowa?
EIA's August 2026 inventory lists 1,064 MW of planned generators in Iowa, 302 MW of it under construction or built. By capacity the pipeline is solar 73%, wind 24%, natural gas 3%. The largest single unit is Silver Queen Wind Farm (252 MW, Silver Queen Wind Farm, LLC). Owners plan to retire 159 MW from 2026 to 2030.
Who runs the power grid in Iowa?
MISO serves most of Iowa as the regional wholesale market and grid operator. No data center load is tracked in its queues yet.
Is planned generation in Iowa on schedule?
3 of 3 planned units of 50 MW or more not yet under construction are past the latest date to order a step-up transformer (more than 160 weeks) for their planned in-service date. They hold schedule only if equipment is already on order.
Is the build-out creating trade jobs in Iowa?
Construction employment is +10.7% against August 2019. Electrical contractor jobs went from 10,748 in 2019 to 13,495 in 2025 (+25.6%, 15th in the country).
Are electricity prices rising in Iowa?
Residential electricity averaged 14.20¢/kWh from January to July 2026, +5.0% on a year earlier, the 36th fastest increase of 51. Commercial sales, the class that includes data centers, changed +3.1%.
What do electricians earn in Iowa?
The median electrician in Iowa earned $60,860 in May 2025, 2.10 times the median cashier, and power-line installers earned $100,200 (BLS OEWS).
Which counties in Iowa have the most planned generation?
By planned nameplate capacity: Clinton County (600 MW), Crawford County (252 MW), Linn County (100 MW).
Does Iowa have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 5 state-level measures (1 enacted) and 31 local moratoria or restrictions in Iowa, 27 of them in force, 14th most in the country.
Iowa across the SAVRN trackers
Sources for this page
- BEA state GDP via FRED
- BLS LAUS
- BLS OEWS
- BLS QCEW
- BLS State Employment (CES)
- EEI large customer projects
- EIA Electric Power Monthly
- EIA-860M (Aug 2026)
- NCSL
- PwC for the Data Center Coalition
- SAVRN Capital Atlas
- SAVRN Data Center Map
- SAVRN Delay Watchlist
- SAVRN Grid Operator Watchlist
- SAVRN Moratorium Tracker
- U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (via us-atlas)
Every figure links to its original source through the Sources buttons. Values marked derived are calculated from reported figures.