Cass County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Atlantic
Cass 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. Cass County is home to Atlantic, Griswold and Anita. Next door, Pottawattamie County has 8 data centers. Construction employs 342, up 4.9% since 2019. Its power plants have 502 MW of capacity, 97% of it wind. Employers here counted 5,700 jobs in 2025, down 2.1% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Cass County
Cass County is home to Atlantic, Griswold and Anita.
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 Cass County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,118 | 12,960 | ▼ 1.2% | 58th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,820 | 5,700 | ▼ 2.1% | 51st of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,574 | $52,232 | ▲ 35.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 326 | 342 | ▲ 4.9% | 43rd of 81 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.1% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Cass County, one of 10 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 12,960 people live here, down 1.2% since 2020.
Who powers Cass County
Utilities with service territory in Cass 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 Anita - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Atlantic Municipal Utilities | — | — | — | — | — |
| Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Guthrie County Rural E C A | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nishnabotna Valley R E C | — | — | — | — | — |
| Waverly Municipal Elec Utility | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 489 MW | 97% |
| Natural gas | 10 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Hills Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 484 MW | 2011 |
| Atlantic | Atlantic Municipal Utilities (IA) | Natural gas | 10 MW | 1999 |
| Anita | City of Anita - (IA) | Petroleum | 3 MW | 1939 |
| Roseman | Roseman Energy, LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2017 |
| Green Energy Machine | Green Energy Machine, LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2016 |
| Wiota | Wiota Wind Energy, LLC #1 | Wind | 2 MW | 2012 |
The Cass County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,700 | $52,232 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 342 | $74,426 | 1.13 |
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 Cass County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cass County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Adams County.
Cass County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Cass County, Pottawattamie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 12,960 | ▼ 2.1% | 502 MW | — | — | — |
| Adair County | 7,403 | ▲ 16.2% | 1,152 MW | — | — | — |
| Adams County | 3,617 | ▼ 10.6% | 205 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Audubon County | 5,509 | ▼ 0.9% | 485 MW | — | — | — |
| Guthrie County | 10,782 | ▲ 3.2% | 214 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 10,002 | ▼ 2.9% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Pottawattamie County | 92,996 | ▲ 3.9% | 1,814 MW | — | 8 | — |
| Shelby County | 11,689 | ▼ 4.0% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Cass County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cass County, Iowa?
10 utilities have service territory in Cass County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, City of Anita - (IA), Atlantic Municipal Utilities. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Cass County?
6 operating plants with 502 MW of capacity. The largest is Rolling Hills Wind Farm (484 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Cass County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cass County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Pottawattamie County.
Is Cass County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,700 jobs in 2025 against 5,820 in 2019 (-2.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 326 to 342.
Does Cass County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cass County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.