Cedar County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Tipton, West Branch and Durant
Cedar 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. Cedar County is home to Tipton, most of West Branch (2,842 of its 2,956 residents), most of Durant (1,604 of its 1,800 residents) and Clarence. Construction employs 283, down 15.0% since 2019. Next door, Clinton County has 600 MW of planned generation. 7 MW has retired here since 2019, including Anchor Wind, LLC (wind, 6 MW, 2025). 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Cedar County
Cedar County is home to Tipton, most of West Branch (2,842 of its 2,956 residents), most of Durant (1,604 of its 1,800 residents) and Clarence.
- West Branch also extends into Johnson County.
- Durant also extends into Muscatine County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Downey, Rochester.
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 Cedar County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,486 | 18,359 | ▼ 0.7% | 38th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,376 | 5,205 | ▼ 3.2% | 56th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,021 | $51,355 | ▲ 31.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 333 | 283 | ▼ 15.0% | 75th of 81 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.0% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 7 MW | — |
Employers here counted 5,205 jobs in 2025, down 3.2% from 2019. Its power plants have 14 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Interstate Power and Light Co is the largest utility serving Cedar County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.90¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. 18,359 people live here, down 0.7% since 2020.
Who powers Cedar County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cedar County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate Power and Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 417,153 | 17.90¢ | 29% |
| Linn County REC | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,323 | 14.23¢ | 11% |
| Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,749 | 13.56¢ | 14% |
| Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,051 | 13.76¢ | 48% |
| City of Durant - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Tipton - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Wilton - (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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 14 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton | City of Tipton - (IA) | Petroleum | 9 MW | 1971 |
| Durant | City of Durant - (IA) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1998 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchor Wind, LLC | Wind | 6 MW | 2025 |
| Tipton | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2019 |
The Cedar County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,205 | $51,355 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 283 | $57,461 | 1.03 |
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 Cedar County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cedar County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Johnson County, Linn County.
Cedar County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Cedar County, Clinton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County | 18,359 | ▼ 3.2% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Clinton County | 46,002 | ▼ 6.9% | 181 MW | 600 MW | — | — |
| Johnson County | 160,044 | ▲ 2.5% | 124 MW | — | 4 | 1 |
| Jones County | 21,253 | ▲ 1.2% | — | — | 2 | — |
| Linn County | 232,028 | ▼ 4.5% | 742 MW | 100 MW | 7 | 2 |
| Muscatine County | 41,853 | ▼ 9.0% | 300 MW | 59 MW | 1 | — |
| Scott County | 175,259 | ▲ 2.1% | 3 MW | — | 3 | — |
More of Iowa
Cedar County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cedar County, Iowa?
7 utilities have service territory in Cedar County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Interstate Power and Light Co, Linn County REC, Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop, Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop. The largest, Interstate Power and Light Co, charged residential customers 17.90¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Cedar County?
2 operating plants with 14 MW of capacity. The largest is Tipton (9 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Cedar County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cedar County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Clinton County.
Is Cedar County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,205 jobs in 2025 against 5,376 in 2019 (-3.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 333 to 283.
Does Cedar County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cedar County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.