Page County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Clarinda and Shenandoah
Page County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Page County is home to Clarinda, Shenandoah and Essex. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Temporary data center moratorium”. Construction employs 187, up 14.0% since 2019. 214 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 234 MW of capacity, 91% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Page County
Page County is home to Clarinda, Shenandoah and Essex.
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 Page County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 15,202 | 14,856 | ▼ 2.3% | 51st of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,209 | 6,243 | ▲ 0.5% | 36th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,462 | $53,069 | ▲ 31.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 164 | 187 | ▲ 14.0% | 26th of 81 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 11 | 8 | ▼ 27.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.1% | 2.8% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 214 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.8% in August 2026, against 2.1% in 2019. MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Page County, one of 4 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 6,243 jobs in 2025, up 0.5% from 2019. 14,856 people live here, down 2.3% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 8, down 27.3% since 2019 against up 25.6% statewide, at an average $51,913 a year.
Who powers Page County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +214 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Page 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| United Electric Coop, Inc - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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.
Operating power plants 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 214 MW | 91% |
| Petroleum | 20 MW | 9% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah Hills Wind Farm | MidAmerican Energy Co | Wind | 214 MW | 2025 |
| Shenandoah | MidAmerican Energy Co | Petroleum | 20 MW | 2000 |
The Page County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,243 | $53,069 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 187 | $47,278 | 0.57 |
| Electrical contractors | 8 | $51,913 | 0.18 |
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 Page County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary data center moratorium | In force | 2026-07 |
Page County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Page County, Nodaway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page County | 14,856 | ▲ 0.5% | 234 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Adams County | 3,617 | ▼ 10.6% | 205 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Atchison County MO | 5,175 | ▲ 4.0% | 800 MW | — | — | — |
| Fremont County | 6,522 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Mills County | 14,793 | ▼ 12.8% | — | 50 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 10,002 | ▼ 2.9% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Nodaway County MO | 20,174 | ▲ 4.0% | 844 MW | 490 MW | — | 1 |
| Taylor County | 5,835 | ▲ 1.3% | 122 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Iowa
Page County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Page County, Iowa?
4 utilities have service territory in Page County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Atchison-Holt Electric Coop, United Electric Coop, Inc - (MO), Southwest Iowa Rural Elec Coop. The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Page County?
2 operating plants with 234 MW of capacity. The largest is Shenandoah Hills Wind Farm (214 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Page County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Page County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Nodaway County.
Is Page County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,243 jobs in 2025 against 6,209 in 2019 (+0.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 164 to 187.
Does Page County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Page County, 1 in force.