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

Home to Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha

The data center boom is not abstract in Linn County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in Linn County, 8% of Iowa's total. Linn County is home to Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha and Mount Vernon. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (2 in force); the latest is “18-month rezoning moratorium (EU-3 data center district)”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Linn County Unincorporated Area Data Center Moratorium. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Clenera DevCo LLC (solar), the 3rd largest pipeline among Iowa's counties. 100 MW of it is already under construction or built.

7
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 8% of Iowa's

100 MW
of new generation planned here, solar leading

703 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

## Cities and towns in Linn County

Linn County is home to Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha and Mount Vernon.

Cedar Rapids137,935 residents
Marion42,732 residents
Hiawatha7,432 residents
Mount Vernon4,514 residents
Robins3,366 residents
Fairfax2,925 residents
Center Point2,572 residents
Ely2,366 residents
Lisbon2,239 residents
Palo1,551 residents
Central City1,253 residents
Springville1,160 residents
Coggon688 residents
Alburnett675 residents
Walker674 residents
Walford397 residents · 29% of the city
Bertram267 residents
Prairieburg156 residents
- Walford also extends into [Benton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/benton-county).

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 Linn County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 230,405 | 232,028 | ▲ 0.7% | 2nd of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 131,354 | 125,508 | ▼ 4.5% | 68th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $54,485 | $70,464 | ▲ 29.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,018 | 8,016 | ▲ 14.2% | 25th of 81 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,262 | 1,429 | ▲ 13.2% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 462 | 340 | ▼ 26.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 698 | 543 | ▼ 22.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 4.0% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 210 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 703 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 13% of today's fleet | 3rd of 6 by size |

703 MW has retired here since 2019, including Duane Arnold Energy Center (nuclear, 680 MW, 2020). Construction employs 8,016, up 14.2% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. 210 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Electrical contractors employ 1,429, up 13.2% since 2019 against up 25.6% statewide, at an average $81,605 a year. Its power plants have 742 MW of capacity, 41% of it coal, the 9th largest fleet in Iowa. Employers here counted 125,508 jobs in 2025, down 4.5% from 2019. Interstate Power and Light Co is the largest utility serving Linn County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 17.90¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.77¢ median for Iowa utilities. 232,028 people live here, up 0.7% since 2020, 2nd of 99 Iowa counties by population.

## Who powers Linn County

### Utilities with service territory in Linn 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% |
| Linn County REC | Cooperative | Bundled | 30,323 | 14.23¢ | 11% |
| Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,749 | 13.56¢ | 14% |
| Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,051 | 13.76¢ | 48% |
| East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,368 | 13.28¢ | 27% |
| City of Coggon - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 306 MW | 41% |
| Solar | 204 MW | 28% |
| Natural gas | 187 MW | 25% |
| Petroleum | 39 MW | 5% |
| Battery storage | 5 MW | 1% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Daniels Midland Cedar Rapids | Archer Daniels Midland Co | Coal | 295 MW | 1988 |
| Prairie Creek | Interstate Power and Light Co | Coal | 199 MW | 1958 |
| Pleasant Creek Unit 2 | Interstate Power and Light Co | Solar | 150 MW | 2024 |
| Pleasant Creek Unit 1 | Interstate Power and Light Co | Solar | 50 MW | 2024 |
| Alliant SBD 9106 Rockwell CR | Industrial Energy Applications Inc | Petroleum | 16 MW | 1992 |
| Alliant SBD0201 Ingredion | Industrial Energy Applications Inc | Petroleum | 6 MW | 2003 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coggon Solar LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 100 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Clenera DevCo LLC |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duane Arnold Energy Center | Nuclear | 680 MW | 2020 |
| Prairie Creek | Coal | 15 MW | 2025 |
| Alliant SBD 8501 Aegon LI | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2021 |
| Kirkwood Wind Turbine | Wind | 2 MW | 2025 |

## The Linn County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 125,508 | $70,464 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 8,016 | $80,889 | 1.21 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,429 | $81,605 | 1.58 |
| Power and communication line construction | 340 | $100,717 | 1.68 |
| Data processing and hosting | 543 | $133,203 | 1.39 |

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 Linn County

7 data centers in Linn County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 18-month rezoning moratorium (EU-3 data center district) | In force | 2026-07 |
| Linn County Board of Supervisors (18-month pause on EU-3 large-scale data center rezoning applications) data center moratorium | In force | 2026-07 |

### Delay Watchlist 

| Project | Status | Cause | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County Unincorporated Area Data Center Moratorium | moratorium in force | county moratorium | — |

## Linn County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Linn County, Johnson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County | 232,028 | ▼ 4.5% | 742 MW | 100 MW | 7 | 2 |
| Benton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/benton-county) | 26,004 | ▼ 0.4% | 18 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Buchanan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/buchanan-county) | 20,883 | ▲ 1.1% | 2 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Cedar County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/cedar-county) | 18,359 | ▼ 3.2% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Delaware County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/delaware-county) | 17,674 | ▲ 3.9% | 110 MW | — | — | — |
| Iowa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/iowa-county) | 16,504 | ▼ 18.2% | 277 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Johnson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/johnson-county) | 160,044 | ▲ 2.5% | 124 MW | — | 4 | 1 |
| Jones County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/jones-county) | 21,253 | ▲ 1.2% | — | — | 2 | — |

## More of Iowa

[All Iowa countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa)[Johnson County160,044 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/johnson-county)[Benton County26,004 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/benton-county)[Jones County21,253 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/jones-county)[Buchanan County20,883 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/buchanan-county)[Cedar County18,359 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/cedar-county)

## Linn County, answered from the record

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

6 utilities have service territory in Linn County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Interstate Power and Light Co, Linn County REC, Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop, Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop. The largest, Interstate Power and Light Co, charged residential customers 17.90¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Cedar Rapids, IA in?

Cedar Rapids is in Linn County, Iowa. About 137,935 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Marion, IA in?

Marion is in Linn County, Iowa. About 42,732 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Linn County?

12 operating plants with 742 MW of capacity. The largest is Archer Daniels Midland Cedar Rapids (295 MW, coal).

### How much new power is planned in Linn County?

100 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 100 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Clenera DevCo LLC.

### Are there data centers in Linn County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 7 data centers in Linn County.

### Is Linn County adding jobs?

Employers counted 125,508 jobs in 2025 against 131,354 in 2019 (-4.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 7,018 to 8,016.

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

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Linn County, 2 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/iowa/linn-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/).