# Clay County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Moorhead, Dilworth and Barnesville

Clay County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Clay County. Clay County is home to Moorhead, Dilworth, Barnesville and Hawley. Construction employs 1,055, up 32.2% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

-31.4%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 107

78 MW
of operating power plants, mostly wind

## Cities and towns in Clay County

Clay County is home to Moorhead, Dilworth, Barnesville and Hawley.

Moorhead46,533 residents
Dilworth4,823 residents
Barnesville2,767 residents
Hawley2,285 residents
Glyndon1,393 residents
Eglon Township711 residents
Sabin601 residents
Parke Township534 residents
Oakport Township507 residents
Spring Prairie Township507 residents
Hawley Township481 residents
Ulen473 residents
Riverton Township438 residents
Elmwood Township415 residents
Cromwell Township390 residents
Elkton Township319 residents
Glyndon Township316 residents
Humboldt Township283 residents
Highland Grove Township275 residents
Tansem Township270 residents
Moland Township259 residents
Kragnes Township257 residents
Kurtz Township255 residents
Hitterdal204 residents

And 16 smaller places.

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Baker.

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 Clay County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 65,358 | 67,734 | ▲ 3.6% | 16th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,382 | 19,568 | ▲ 1.0% | 31st of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,997 | $56,501 | ▲ 34.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 798 | 1,055 | ▲ 32.2% | 9th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 156 | 107 | ▼ 31.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 78 MW of capacity, 71% of it wind. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Clay County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.98¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. Employers here counted 19,568 jobs in 2025, up 1.0% from 2019. 67,734 people live here, up 3.6% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 107, down 31.4% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $49,103 a year.

## Who powers Clay County

### Utilities with service territory in Clay 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% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 50,118 | 11.33¢ | 37% |
| Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN) | Cooperative | Bundled | 27,239 | 13.28¢ | 26% |
| City of Moorhead - (MN) | Municipal | Bundled | 18,180 | 11.38¢ | 8% |
| Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,948 | 14.35¢ | 20% |
| City of Barnesville - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hawley Public Utilities Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Red River Valley Coop Pwr 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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 55 MW | 71% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 15% |
| Solar | 6 MW | 8% |
| Coal | 5 MW | 6% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeswind Power Partners | Lakeswind Power Partners | Wind | 52 MW | 2014 |
| Centennial Generating Station | City of Moorhead - (MN) | Petroleum | 12 MW | 2011 |
| American Crystal Sugar Moorhead | American Crystal Sugar Co | Coal | 5 MW | 1948 |
| Agassiz Beach LLC | CHI Operations Inc | Wind | 2 MW | 2001 |
| Moorhead Wind Turbine | City of Moorhead - (MN) | Wind | 1 MW | 1999 |
| Spring Prairie Solar LLC CSG | United States Solar Corporation | Solar | 1 MW | 2024 |

## The Clay County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 19,568 | $56,501 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,055 | $71,860 | 1.02 |
| Electrical contractors | 107 | $49,103 | 0.76 |

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 Clay County

1 data center in Clay County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Clay County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Clay County, Cass 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 67,734 | ▲ 1.0% | 78 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Becker County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/becker-county) | 35,497 | ▲ 4.9% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Cass County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/cass-county) ND | 201,794 | ▲ 7.1% | 4 MW | — | 7 | 1 |
| Norman County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/norman-county) | 6,336 | ▲ 18.5% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Otter Tail County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/otter-tail-county) | 61,041 | ▼ 1.1% | 53 MW | — | — | — |
| Richland County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/richland-county) ND | 16,731 | ▲ 0.9% | 2 MW | 295 MW | — | — |
| Wilkin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wilkin-county) | 6,288 | ▼ 8.2% | — | 1 MW | — | — |

## More of Minnesota

[All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Otter Tail County61,041 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/otter-tail-county)[Becker County35,497 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/becker-county)[Norman County6,336 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/norman-county)[Wilkin County6,288 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wilkin-county)

## Clay County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Clay County, Minnesota?

9 utilities have service territory in Clay County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Otter Tail Power Co, Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN), City of Moorhead - (MN). The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Moorhead, MN in?

Moorhead is in Clay County, Minnesota. About 46,533 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Clay County?

11 operating plants with 78 MW of capacity. The largest is Lakeswind Power Partners (52 MW, wind).

### Are there data centers in Clay County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Clay County.

### Is Clay County adding jobs?

Employers counted 19,568 jobs in 2025 against 19,382 in 2019 (+1.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 798 to 1,055.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Clay County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/clay-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/).