Brown County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to New Ulm, Sleepy Eye and Springfield
Brown 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. Brown County is home to New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Springfield and Cottonwood Township. Next door, Cottonwood County has 200 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 634, down 2.6% since 2019. Employers here counted 13,328 jobs in 2025, down 4.7% from 2019. Its power plants have 99 MW of capacity, 73% of it petroleum.
Cities and towns in Brown County
Brown County is home to New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Springfield and Cottonwood Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Essig, Searles.
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 Brown County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 25,908 | 25,517 | ▼ 1.5% | 42nd of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 13,984 | 13,328 | ▼ 4.7% | 68th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,473 | $56,610 | ▲ 30.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 651 | 634 | ▼ 2.6% | 55th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 81 | 61 | ▼ 24.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.3% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Brown 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. 25,517 people live here, down 1.5% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 61, down 24.7% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $63,931 a year.
Who powers Brown County
Utilities with service territory in Brown 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% |
| South Central Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,665 | 15.20¢ | 23% |
| Brown County Rural Elec Assn | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Ulm Public Utilities Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Redwood Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sleepy Eye Public Utility Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Springfield Public Utils Comm - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 72 MW | 73% |
| Natural gas | 27 MW | 27% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Ulm | New Ulm Public Utilities Comm | Natural gas | 78 MW | 1957 |
| Sleepy Eye | Sleepy Eye Public Utility Comm | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1995 |
| Springfield (MN) | Springfield Public Utils Comm - (MN) | Petroleum | 9 MW | 1994 |
The Brown County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,328 | $56,610 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 634 | $75,464 | 0.90 |
| Electrical contractors | 61 | $63,931 | 0.63 |
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 Brown County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Brown County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Brown County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Brown County, Cottonwood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 25,517 | ▼ 4.7% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Blue Earth County | 70,634 | ▲ 3.0% | 826 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Cottonwood County | 11,405 | ▼ 6.1% | 306 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Nicollet County | 34,273 | ▼ 5.3% | 16 MW | — | — | — |
| Redwood County | 15,265 | ▼ 0.7% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Renville County | 14,356 | ▼ 2.7% | 38 MW | — | — | — |
| Watonwan County | 11,459 | ▲ 2.6% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Brown County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Brown County, Minnesota?
7 utilities have service territory in Brown County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, South Central Electric Assn, Brown County Rural Elec Assn, New Ulm Public Utilities Comm. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is New Ulm, MN in?
New Ulm is in Brown County, Minnesota. About 13,863 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Brown County?
3 operating plants with 99 MW of capacity. The largest is New Ulm (78 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Brown County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Brown County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cottonwood County.
Is Brown County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,328 jobs in 2025 against 13,984 in 2019 (-4.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 651 to 634.
Does Brown County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Brown County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.