Clearwater County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bagley
Clearwater 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. Clearwater County is home to Bagley, Copley Township and Popple Township. Next door, Polk County has 1 data center. Unemployment was 7.6% in August 2026, against 9.2% in 2019. Employers here counted 2,559 jobs in 2025, down 1.9% from 2019. Otter Tail Power Co is the largest utility serving Clearwater County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.33¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities.
Cities and towns in Clearwater County
Clearwater County is home to Bagley, Copley Township and Popple Township.
And 1 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ebro, Elbow Lake, Rice Lake, Roy Lake, South End.
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 Clearwater County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,565 | 8,647 | ▲ 1.0% | 74th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,608 | 2,559 | ▼ 1.9% | 52nd of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,622 | $58,215 | ▲ 39.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 9.2% | 7.6% | ▼ 1.6pts | — |
8,647 people live here, up 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Clearwater County
Utilities with service territory in Clearwater County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 50,118 | 11.33¢ | 37% |
| Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,732 | 14.40¢ | 35% |
| Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,948 | 14.35¢ | 20% |
| Itasca-Mantrap Co-op Electrical Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,200 | 13.44¢ | 7% |
| Bagley Public Utilities Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clearwater-Polk Elec Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Red Lake Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Clearwater County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Clearwater County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,559 | $58,215 | 1.00 |
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 Clearwater County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Clearwater County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Clearwater County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Clearwater County, Beltrami 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater County | 8,647 | ▼ 1.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Becker County | 35,497 | ▲ 4.9% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Beltrami County | 47,055 | ▲ 2.5% | 51 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Hubbard County | 22,369 | ▲ 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Mahnomen County | 5,153 | ▲ 9.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Pennington County | 13,686 | ▼ 7.9% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Polk County | 30,545 | ▼ 1.2% | 14 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Minnesota
Clearwater County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Clearwater County, Minnesota?
7 utilities have service territory in Clearwater County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Otter Tail Power Co, Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc, Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc, Itasca-Mantrap Co-op Electrical Assn. The largest, Otter Tail Power Co, charged residential customers 11.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Clearwater County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Clearwater County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Polk County.
Is Clearwater County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,559 jobs in 2025 against 2,608 in 2019 (-1.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Clearwater County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Clearwater County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.