Blue Earth County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mankato, Eagle Lake and Lake Crystal
Blue Earth County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Blue Earth County is home to Mankato, Eagle Lake, Lake Crystal and Mankato Township. 1 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by MN CSG 2019-57 LLC (solar). Construction employs 1,935, down 6.2% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 197 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Blue Earth County
Blue Earth County is home to Mankato, Eagle Lake, Lake Crystal and Mankato Township.
And 10 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Garden City.
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 Blue Earth County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 69,202 | 70,634 | ▲ 2.1% | 13th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 40,290 | 41,483 | ▲ 3.0% | 23rd of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,447 | $59,405 | ▲ 30.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,063 | 1,935 | ▼ 6.2% | 60th of 72 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 149 | 132 | ▼ 11.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.1% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 197 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1 MW | 0% of today's fleet | 14th of 15 by size |
Its power plants have 826 MW of capacity, 91% of it natural gas, the 9th largest fleet in Minnesota. Employers here counted 41,483 jobs in 2025, up 3.0% from 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Blue Earth County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.98¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 70,634 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Blue Earth County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +197 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Blue Earth County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,230,057 | 16.98¢ | 44% |
| Minnesota Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 43,412 | 13.98¢ | 43% |
| BENCO Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,361 | 15.03¢ | 24% |
| Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,725 | 15.63¢ | 20% |
| South Central Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,665 | 15.20¢ | 23% |
| City of Lake Crystal - (MN) | Municipal | Bundled | 1,070 | 20.97¢ | 50% |
| Brown County Rural Elec Assn | — | — | — | — | — |
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 21
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 748 MW | 91% |
| Solar | 34 MW | 4% |
| Other technologies | 25 MW | 3% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 1% |
| Hydro | 7 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mankato Energy Center | MEC Holdings, LLC | Natural gas | 741 MW | 2006 |
| Wilmarth | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Other technologies | 25 MW | 1948 |
| POET Biorefining Lake Crystal | POET Biorefining Lake Crystal | Petroleum | 7 MW | 2005 |
| Rapidan Hydro Facility | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Hydro | 7 MW | 1984 |
| Archer Daniels Midland Mankato | Archer Daniels Midland Co | Natural gas | 6 MW | 1987 |
| Lake Crystal | City of Lake Crystal - (MN) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1952 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MN CSG 2019-57 | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Approvals received | 2027 | MN CSG 2019-57 LLC |
The Blue Earth County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 41,483 | $59,405 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,935 | $82,194 | 0.88 |
| Electric utilities | 132 | $127,681 | 1.18 |
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 Blue Earth County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Blue Earth County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Le Sueur County.
Blue Earth County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Blue Earth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth County | 70,634 | ▲ 3.0% | 826 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Brown County | 25,517 | ▼ 4.7% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Faribault County | 13,888 | ▼ 0.4% | 60 MW | — | — | — |
| Le Sueur County | 29,453 | ▼ 3.3% | 48 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Martin County | 19,440 | ▼ 1.2% | 845 MW | — | — | — |
| Nicollet County | 34,273 | ▼ 5.3% | 16 MW | — | — | — |
| Waseca County | 18,688 | ▼ 9.9% | 38 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Watonwan County | 11,459 | ▲ 2.6% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Blue Earth County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
7 utilities have service territory in Blue Earth County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Minnesota Valley Electric Coop, BENCO Electric Cooperative, Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Mankato, MN in?
Mankato is in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. About 46,524 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Blue Earth County?
21 operating plants with 826 MW of capacity. The largest is Mankato Energy Center (741 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Blue Earth County?
1 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is MN CSG 2019-57 LLC.
Are there data centers in Blue Earth County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Blue Earth County.
Is Blue Earth County adding jobs?
Employers counted 41,483 jobs in 2025 against 40,290 in 2019 (+3.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,063 to 1,935.
Does Blue Earth County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Blue Earth County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.