Kossuth County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Algona
Kossuth 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. Kossuth County is home to Algona, Bancroft and Swea City. Next door, Hancock County has 1 data center. Electrical contractors employ 30, up 20.0% since 2019 against up 25.6% statewide, at an average $63,667 a year. 429 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Construction employs 304, down 5.3% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Kossuth County
Kossuth County is home to Algona, Bancroft and Swea City.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Irvington, Sexton, St. Benedict, St. Joseph.
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 Kossuth County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 14,794 | 14,322 | ▼ 3.2% | 54th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,707 | 6,481 | ▼ 3.4% | 61st of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,628 | $53,948 | ▲ 26.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 321 | 304 | ▼ 5.3% | 62nd of 81 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25 | 30 | ▲ 20.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.3% | 3.2% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 429 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, against 2.3% in 2019. Its power plants have 462 MW of capacity, 96% of it wind. Employers here counted 6,481 jobs in 2025, down 3.4% from 2019. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Kossuth County, one of 12 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.01¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. 14,322 people live here, down 3.2% since 2020.
Who powers Kossuth County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +429 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Kossuth 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% |
| Midland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,939 | 13.60¢ | 12% |
| Iowa Lakes Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,714 | 13.78¢ | 22% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,351 | 12.67¢ | 12% |
| Prairie Energy Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,440 | 14.34¢ | 0% |
| Federated Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 53 | 11.82¢ | 0% |
| City of Algona - (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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 442 MW | 96% |
| Petroleum | 20 MW | 4% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ledyard Windpower, LLC | Deriva Energy | Wind | 207 MW | 2022 |
| Kossuth | Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Wind | 152 MW | 2020 |
| Kossuth County Wind | Kossuth County Wind, LLC | Wind | 70 MW | 2022 |
| Algona | City of Algona - (IA) | Petroleum | 16 MW | 1965 |
| Lakota Wind Wind Farm | Iowa Lakes Electric Coop | Wind | 10 MW | 2009 |
| Bancroft | Bancroft Municipal Utilities - (IA) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1954 |
The Kossuth County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,481 | $53,948 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 304 | $65,029 | 0.89 |
| Electrical contractors | 30 | $63,667 | 0.64 |
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 Kossuth County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Kossuth County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Emmet County, Hancock County.
Kossuth County and its neighbors
Of the 9 counties that border Kossuth County, Martin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kossuth County | 14,322 | ▼ 3.4% | 462 MW | — | — | — |
| Emmet County | 9,107 | ▼ 12.1% | 17 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Faribault County MN | 13,888 | ▼ 0.4% | 60 MW | — | — | — |
| Hancock County | 10,528 | ▼ 7.7% | 448 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Humboldt County | 9,409 | ▼ 3.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Martin County MN | 19,440 | ▼ 1.2% | 845 MW | — | — | — |
| Palo Alto County | 8,899 | ▼ 3.7% | 374 MW | — | — | — |
| Pocahontas County | 6,819 | ▼ 22.1% | 378 MW | — | — | — |
| Winnebago County | 10,251 | ▼ 9.6% | 332 MW | — | — | — |
| Wright County | 12,801 | ▲ 4.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Kossuth County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Kossuth County, Iowa?
12 utilities have service territory in Kossuth County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Interstate Power and Light Co, Midland Power Coop, Iowa Lakes Electric Coop. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Kossuth County?
7 operating plants with 462 MW of capacity. The largest is Ledyard Windpower, LLC (207 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Kossuth County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kossuth County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hancock County.
Is Kossuth County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,481 jobs in 2025 against 6,707 in 2019 (-3.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 321 to 304.
Does Kossuth County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Kossuth County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.