Fremont County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sidney
Fremont 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. Fremont County is home to Sidney, most of Tabor (900 of its 985 residents) and Hamburg. Next door, Cass County, Nebraska, has 792 MW of planned generation. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Fremont County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. Employers here counted 2,168 jobs in 2025, up 0.3% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Fremont County
Fremont County is home to Sidney, most of Tabor (900 of its 985 residents) and Hamburg.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Anderson, Bartlett, Percival.
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 Fremont County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 6,575 | 6,522 | ▼ 0.8% | 94th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,161 | 2,168 | ▲ 0.3% | 37th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,890 | $51,276 | ▲ 31.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 56 | 79 | ▲ 41.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.0% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
6,522 people live here, down 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Fremont County
Utilities with service territory in Fremont 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% |
| Atchison-Holt Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Southwest Iowa Rural Elec Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
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 Fremont County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Fremont County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,168 | $51,276 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 79 | $48,303 | 0.69 |
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 Fremont County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Fremont County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Cass County, Otoe County, Page County.
Fremont County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Fremont County, Cass 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County | 6,522 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Atchison County MO | 5,175 | ▲ 4.0% | 800 MW | — | — | — |
| Cass County NE | 27,657 | ▲ 6.8% | 346 MW | 792 MW | — | 1 |
| Mills County | 14,793 | ▼ 12.8% | — | 50 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 10,002 | ▼ 2.9% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Otoe County NE | 16,531 | ▲ 0.2% | 1,433 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Page County | 14,856 | ▲ 0.5% | 234 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Iowa
Fremont County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Fremont County, Iowa?
3 utilities have service territory in Fremont County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Atchison-Holt Electric Coop, Southwest Iowa Rural Elec Coop. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Fremont County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Fremont County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cass County.
Is Fremont County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,168 jobs in 2025 against 2,161 in 2019 (+0.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 56 to 79.
Does Fremont County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Fremont County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.