Sac County, Iowa: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sac City and Lake View
No data center or power plant project is on record in Sac County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Sac County is home to Sac City, Lake View, Odebolt and Wall Lake. Next door, Crawford County has 252 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 121, up 15.2% since 2019. 211 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 211 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Sac County
Sac County is home to Sac City, Lake View, Odebolt and Wall Lake.
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 Sac County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,791 | 9,525 | ▼ 2.7% | 77th of 99 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,989 | 2,954 | ▼ 1.2% | 46th of 99 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,784 | $53,330 | ▲ 41.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 105 | 121 | ▲ 15.2% | 23rd of 81 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 2.7% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 211 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
MidAmerican Energy Co is the largest utility serving Sac County, one of 9 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 2,954 jobs in 2025, down 1.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 2.7% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019. 9,525 people live here, down 2.7% since 2020.
Who powers Sac County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +211 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Sac 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% |
| Iowa Lakes Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,714 | 13.78¢ | 22% |
| North West Rural Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,400 | 9.26¢ | 66% |
| City of Auburn - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Calhoun County Elec Coop Assn | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Lake View - (IA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Western Iowa Power 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 | 211 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland (IA) | Interstate Power and Light Co | Wind | 131 MW | 2020 |
| Sac County Wind, LLC | Sac County Wind | Wind | 80 MW | 2021 |
The Sac County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,954 | $53,330 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 121 | $57,340 | 0.77 |
| Electric utilities | 11 | $123,369 | 1.38 |
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 Sac County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sac County. Iowa has 31 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Ida County.
Sac County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Sac County, Crawford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sac County | 9,525 | ▼ 1.2% | 211 MW | — | — | — |
| Buena Vista County | 20,449 | ▼ 6.8% | 374 MW | — | — | — |
| Calhoun County | 9,562 | ▼ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Carroll County | 20,303 | ▼ 4.6% | 298 MW | — | — | — |
| Cherokee County | 11,369 | ▲ 2.2% | 212 MW | — | — | — |
| Crawford County | 16,237 | ▼ 5.0% | 102 MW | 252 MW | — | — |
| Ida County | 6,777 | ▼ 4.2% | 502 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Pocahontas County | 6,819 | ▼ 22.1% | 378 MW | — | — | — |
More of Iowa
Sac County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sac County, Iowa?
9 utilities have service territory in Sac County in the EIA-861 2024 report: MidAmerican Energy Co, Iowa Lakes Electric Coop, North West Rural Electric Coop, City of Auburn - (IA). The largest, MidAmerican Energy Co, charged residential customers 11.01¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Sac County?
2 operating plants with 211 MW of capacity. The largest is Richland (IA) (131 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Sac County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sac County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Crawford County.
Is Sac County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,954 jobs in 2025 against 2,989 in 2019 (-1.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 105 to 121.
Does Sac County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sac County. Iowa has 31 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.