Bremer County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Waverly, Sumner and Denver
Bremer 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. Bremer County is home to Waverly, Sumner, Denver and Tripoli. Next door, Black Hawk County has 3 data centers. Construction employs 426, down 11.2% since 2019. 6 MW has retired here since 2019, including Sumner (petroleum, 6 MW, 2021). 9 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Bremer County
Bremer County is home to Waverly, Sumner, Denver and Tripoli.
- Janesville also extends into Black Hawk County.
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 Bremer County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 25,014 | 25,296 | ▲ 1.1% | 26th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,985 | 9,525 | ▼ 4.6% | 70th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,341 | $53,979 | ▲ 27.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 480 | 426 | ▼ 11.2% | 71st of 81 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 63 | 53 | ▼ 15.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 3.1% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 9 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. Employers here counted 9,525 jobs in 2025, down 4.6% from 2019. Its power plants have 84 MW of capacity, 45% of it wind. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Bremer 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. Electrical contractors employ 53, down 15.9% since 2019 against up 25.6% statewide, at an average $67,463 a year. 25,296 people live here, up 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Bremer County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Bremer 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% |
| Interstate Power and Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 417,153 | 17.90¢ | 29% |
| East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,368 | 13.28¢ | 27% |
| Butler County Rural Elec Coop - (IA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,898 | 15.43¢ | 0% |
| Allamakee-Clayton El Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Denver - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Readlyn - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Sumner - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 38 MW | 45% |
| Petroleum | 32 MW | 38% |
| Natural gas | 11 MW | 13% |
| Solar | 4 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye Wind Farm | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Wind | 35 MW | 2012 |
| Waverly Municipal Electric North Plant | Waverly Municipal Elec Utility - (IA) | Petroleum | 25 MW | 1958 |
| South Plant (IA) | Waverly Municipal Elec Utility - (IA) | Petroleum | 12 MW | 2000 |
| Sumner | City of Sumner - (IA) | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2021 |
| Waverly Solar - (IA) | SE Municipal Iowa, LLC | Solar | 4 MW | 2025 |
| Waverly Community Wind Project | Waverly Municipal Elec Utility - (IA) | Wind | 3 MW | 2001 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumner | Petroleum | 6 MW | 2021 |
The Bremer County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,525 | $53,979 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 426 | $59,264 | 0.84 |
| Electrical contractors | 53 | $67,463 | 0.77 |
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 Bremer County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Bremer County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Buchanan County.
Bremer County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Bremer County, Black Hawk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bremer County | 25,296 | ▼ 4.6% | 84 MW | — | — | — |
| Black Hawk County | 131,532 | ▼ 4.0% | 394 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Buchanan County | 20,883 | ▲ 1.1% | 2 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Butler County | 14,049 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Chickasaw County | 11,663 | ▲ 5.3% | 229 MW | — | — | — |
| Fayette County | 19,047 | ▼ 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Floyd County | 14,901 | ▼ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Bremer County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Bremer County, Iowa?
9 utilities have service territory in Bremer County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop, Butler County Rural Elec Coop - (IA). The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Waverly, IA in?
Waverly is in Bremer County, Iowa. About 10,561 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Bremer County?
6 operating plants with 84 MW of capacity. The largest is Hawkeye Wind Farm (35 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Bremer County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Bremer County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Black Hawk County.
Is Bremer County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,525 jobs in 2025 against 9,985 in 2019 (-4.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 480 to 426.
Does Bremer County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Bremer County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.