Chickasaw County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to New Hampton and Nashua
No data center or power plant project is on record in Chickasaw County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Construction employs 344, up 47.6% since 2019. Chickasaw County is home to New Hampton, Nashua and Fredericksburg. 202 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Employers here counted 5,150 jobs in 2025, up 5.3% from 2019. Its power plants have 229 MW of capacity, 88% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Chickasaw County
Chickasaw County is home to New Hampton, Nashua and Fredericksburg.
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 Chickasaw County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 11,995 | 11,663 | ▼ 2.8% | 65th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,889 | 5,150 | ▲ 5.3% | 13th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,037 | $59,026 | ▲ 37.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 233 | 344 | ▲ 47.6% | 7th of 81 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 33 | 27 | ▼ 18.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 2.7% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 202 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Chickasaw 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 2.7% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. 11,663 people live here, down 2.8% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 27, down 18.2% since 2019 against up 25.6% statewide, at an average $48,882 a year.
Who powers Chickasaw County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +202 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Chickasaw 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% |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 6,006 | 16.91¢ | 34% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,351 | 12.67¢ | 12% |
| Butler County Rural Elec Coop - (IA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,898 | 15.43¢ | 0% |
| Allamakee-Clayton El Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Alta Vista- (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Fredericksburg - (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 202 MW | 88% |
| Natural gas | 16 MW | 7% |
| Petroleum | 11 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickasaw Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 202 MW | 2023 |
| New Hampton | City of New Hampton - (IA) | Natural gas | 26 MW | 1967 |
The Chickasaw County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,150 | $59,026 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 344 | $65,948 | 1.26 |
| Electrical contractors | 27 | $48,882 | 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 Chickasaw County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Chickasaw County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Mitchell County.
Chickasaw County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Chickasaw County, Mitchell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickasaw County | 11,663 | ▲ 5.3% | 229 MW | — | — | — |
| Bremer County | 25,296 | ▼ 4.6% | 84 MW | — | — | — |
| Butler County | 14,049 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Fayette County | 19,047 | ▼ 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Floyd County | 14,901 | ▼ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | — |
| Howard County | 9,415 | ▲ 4.3% | 167 MW | — | — | — |
| Mitchell County | 10,650 | ▼ 17.9% | 526 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Winneshiek County | 19,733 | ▲ 1.2% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Chickasaw County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Chickasaw County, Iowa?
10 utilities have service territory in Chickasaw County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, MiEnergy Cooperative, Heartland Power Coop. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Chickasaw County?
2 operating plants with 229 MW of capacity. The largest is Chickasaw Wind Farm (202 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Chickasaw County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Chickasaw County.
Is Chickasaw County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,150 jobs in 2025 against 4,889 in 2019 (+5.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 233 to 344.
Does Chickasaw County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Chickasaw County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.