Audubon County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Audubon
Audubon County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Audubon County is home to Audubon and Exira. Next door, Crawford County has 252 MW of planned generation. 200 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 485 MW of capacity, 63% of it wind. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Audubon County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities.
Cities and towns in Audubon County
Audubon County is home to Audubon and Exira.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Audubon County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,680 | 5,509 | ▼ 3.0% | 97th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,813 | 1,797 | ▼ 0.9% | 45th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,368 | $54,541 | ▲ 42.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 60 | 79 | ▲ 31.7% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11 | 20 | ▲ 81.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 2.3% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 200 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 1,797 jobs in 2025, down 0.9% from 2019. Unemployment was 2.3% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019. 5,509 people live here, down 3.0% since 2020.
Who powers Audubon County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +200 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Audubon County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidAmerican Energy Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 632,436 | 11.01¢ | 18% |
| Atlantic Municipal Utilities | — | — | — | — | — |
| Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative | — | — | — | — | — |
| Guthrie County Rural E C A | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Kimballton - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nishnabotna Valley R E C | — | — | — | — | — |
| Western Iowa Power Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 304 MW | 63% |
| Natural gas | 182 MW | 37% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartland Divide II | Heartland Divide II | Wind | 200 MW | 2022 |
| Exira | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny | Natural gas | 182 MW | 2004 |
| Heartland Divide Wind Project, LLC | Heartland Divide Wind Project, LLC | Wind | 104 MW | 2018 |
The Audubon County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,797 | $54,541 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 79 | $58,765 | 0.83 |
| Electric utilities | 20 | $129,433 | 4.11 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Audubon County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Audubon County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide.
Audubon County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Audubon County, Crawford County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audubon County | 5,509 | ▼ 0.9% | 485 MW | — | — | — |
| Adair County | 7,403 | ▲ 16.2% | 1,152 MW | — | — | — |
| Carroll County | 20,303 | ▼ 4.6% | 298 MW | — | — | — |
| Cass County | 12,960 | ▼ 2.1% | 502 MW | — | — | — |
| Crawford County | 16,237 | ▼ 5.0% | 102 MW | 252 MW | — | — |
| Guthrie County | 10,782 | ▲ 3.2% | 214 MW | — | — | — |
| Shelby County | 11,689 | ▼ 4.0% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Audubon County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Audubon County, Iowa?
9 utilities have service territory in Audubon County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Atlantic Municipal Utilities, Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (IA), Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Audubon County?
3 operating plants with 485 MW of capacity. The largest is Heartland Divide II (200 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Audubon County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Audubon County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Crawford County.
Is Audubon County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,797 jobs in 2025 against 1,813 in 2019 (-0.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 60 to 79.
Does Audubon County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Audubon County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.