Floyd County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Charles City and Nora Springs
No data center or power plant project is on record in Floyd County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Floyd County is home to Charles City, Nora Springs and Rockford. Next door, Cerro Gordo County has 2 data centers. Employers here counted 5,573 jobs in 2025, down 8.2% from 2019. Construction employs 177, up 0.6% since 2019. Its power plants have 119 MW of capacity, 67% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Floyd County
Floyd County is home to Charles City, Nora Springs and Rockford.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Roseville.
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 Floyd County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 15,595 | 14,901 | ▼ 4.5% | 50th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,073 | 5,573 | ▼ 8.2% | 86th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,542 | $56,852 | ▲ 30.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 176 | 177 | ▲ 0.6% | 53rd of 81 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Floyd County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. 14,901 people live here, down 4.5% since 2020.
Who powers Floyd County
Utilities with service territory in Floyd 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% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,351 | 12.67¢ | 12% |
| Butler County Rural Elec Coop - (IA) | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,898 | 15.43¢ | 0% |
| Franklin Rural Electric Coop - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Rockford- (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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 80 MW | 67% |
| Natural gas | 36 MW | 30% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 80 MW | 2008 |
| Merl Parr | MidAmerican Energy Co | Natural gas | 36 MW | 1969 |
| Rockford | City of Rockford- (IA) | Petroleum | 3 MW | 1951 |
The Floyd County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,573 | $56,852 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 177 | $70,094 | 0.60 |
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 Floyd County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Floyd County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Mitchell County.
Floyd County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Floyd County, Cerro Gordo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County | 14,901 | ▼ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | — |
| Bremer County | 25,296 | ▼ 4.6% | 84 MW | — | — | — |
| Butler County | 14,049 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Cerro Gordo County | 42,372 | ▼ 5.2% | 787 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Chickasaw County | 11,663 | ▲ 5.3% | 229 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County | 9,868 | ▲ 0.3% | 509 MW | — | — | — |
| Howard County | 9,415 | ▲ 4.3% | 167 MW | — | — | — |
| Mitchell County | 10,650 | ▼ 17.9% | 526 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Iowa
Floyd County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Floyd County, Iowa?
6 utilities have service territory in Floyd County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, Heartland Power Coop, Butler County Rural Elec Coop - (IA). The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Floyd County?
3 operating plants with 119 MW of capacity. The largest is Charles City Wind Farm (80 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Floyd County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Floyd County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cerro Gordo County.
Is Floyd County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,573 jobs in 2025 against 6,073 in 2019 (-8.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 176 to 177.
Does Floyd County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Floyd County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.