# Clarke County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Osceola

Local rules on data centers are on the record in Clarke County. Clarke County is home to Osceola and Murray. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Local moratorium on data centers until a condition is met”. Employers here counted 4,770 jobs in 2025, up 6.3% from 2019. Interstate Power and Light Co is the largest utility serving Clarke County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.90¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. Unemployment was 2.7% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.

+6.3%
total jobs since 2019, now 4,770

17.90¢
per kWh for Interstate Power and Light Co residential customers, 2024

9,574
residents, 2025

## Cities and towns in Clarke County

Clarke County is home to Osceola and Murray.

Osceola5,679 residents
Murray600 residents
Woodburn133 residents

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 Clarke County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,731 | 9,574 | ▼ 1.6% | 75th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,488 | 4,770 | ▲ 6.3% | 11th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,498 | $52,224 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.7% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |

9,574 people live here, down 1.6% since 2020.

## Who powers Clarke County

### Utilities with service territory in Clarke 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% |
| Clarke Electric Coop Inc - (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.

No operating power plant is located in Clarke County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

## The Clarke County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,770 | $52,224 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 115 | $39,247 | 0.46 |

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 Clarke County

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Local moratorium on data centers until a condition is met | In force | 2026-01 |

## Clarke County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Clarke County, Warren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County | 9,574 | ▲ 6.3% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Decatur County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/decatur-county) | 7,655 | ▼ 5.1% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Lucas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/lucas-county) | 8,847 | ▼ 12.6% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Madison County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/madison-county) | 17,270 | ▲ 9.2% | 137 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Ringgold County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/ringgold-county) | 4,642 | ▲ 0.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Union County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/union-county) | 11,829 | ▼ 3.3% | 424 MW | — | — | — |
| Warren County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/warren-county) | 57,331 | ▲ 15.7% | 44 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Wayne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/wayne-county) | 6,738 | ▲ 7.3% | — | — | — | — |

## More of Iowa

[All Iowa countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa)[Warren County57,331 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/warren-county)[Madison County17,270 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/madison-county)[Union County11,829 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/union-county)[Lucas County8,847 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/lucas-county)[Decatur County7,655 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/decatur-county)

## Clarke County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Clarke County, Iowa?

2 utilities have service territory in Clarke County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Interstate Power and Light Co, Clarke Electric Coop Inc - (IA). The largest, Interstate Power and Light Co, charged residential customers 17.90¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### Are there data centers in Clarke County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Clarke County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Warren County.

### Is Clarke County adding jobs?

Employers counted 4,770 jobs in 2025 against 4,488 in 2019 (+6.3%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Clarke County have a data center moratorium?

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Clarke County, 1 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/clarke-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
