Carroll County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Carroll, Manning and Coon Rapids
Carroll 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. Carroll County is home to Carroll, Manning, Coon Rapids and Glidden. Next door, Crawford County has 252 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 424, down 9.2% since 2019. Employers here counted 10,938 jobs in 2025, down 4.6% from 2019. Its power plants have 298 MW of capacity, 96% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Carroll County
Carroll County is home to Carroll, Manning, Coon Rapids and Glidden.
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 Carroll County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,725 | 20,303 | ▼ 2.0% | 32nd of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11,469 | 10,938 | ▼ 4.6% | 71st of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,119 | $52,350 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 467 | 424 | ▼ 9.2% | 66th of 81 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.8% | 2.5% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.5% in August 2026, against 1.8% in 2019. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Carroll County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. 20,303 people live here, down 2.0% since 2020.
Who powers Carroll County
Utilities with service territory in Carroll 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% |
| City of Breda - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Coon Rapids | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Glidden - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Manning | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 285 MW | 96% |
| Petroleum | 13 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 159 MW | 2008 |
| Victory Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 105 MW | 2006 |
| Carroll Area Wind Farm | SRIV Partnership LLC | Wind | 21 MW | 2015 |
| Manning | City of Manning - (IA) | Petroleum | 8 MW | 1928 |
| Coon Rapids II | City of Coon Rapids -(IA) | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2001 |
The Carroll County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 10,938 | $52,350 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 424 | $61,847 | 0.73 |
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 Carroll County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Carroll County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide.
Carroll County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Carroll 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County | 20,303 | ▼ 4.6% | 298 MW | — | — | — |
| Audubon County | 5,509 | ▼ 0.9% | 485 MW | — | — | — |
| Calhoun County | 9,562 | ▼ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Crawford County | 16,237 | ▼ 5.0% | 102 MW | 252 MW | — | — |
| Greene County | 8,658 | ▼ 6.1% | 74 MW | — | — | — |
| Guthrie County | 10,782 | ▲ 3.2% | 214 MW | — | — | — |
| Sac County | 9,525 | ▼ 1.2% | 211 MW | — | — | — |
| Shelby County | 11,689 | ▼ 4.0% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Carroll County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Carroll County, Iowa?
8 utilities have service territory in Carroll County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, City of Breda - (IA), City of Coon Rapids. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Carroll, IA in?
Carroll is in Carroll County, Iowa. About 10,085 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Carroll County?
5 operating plants with 298 MW of capacity. The largest is Carroll Wind Farm (159 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Carroll County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Carroll County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Crawford County.
Is Carroll County adding jobs?
Employers counted 10,938 jobs in 2025 against 11,469 in 2019 (-4.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 467 to 424.
Does Carroll County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Carroll County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.