Cottonwood County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Windom and Mountain Lake
No data center or power plant project is on record in Cottonwood County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Construction employs 319, up 43.7% since 2019. Cottonwood County is home to Windom, Mountain Lake and Westbrook. 200 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Geronimo Power (wind), the 4th largest pipeline among Minnesota's counties. Unemployment was 5.5% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. 6 MW has retired here since 2019, including Windom (petroleum, 3 MW, 2022).
Cities and towns in Cottonwood County
Cottonwood County is home to Windom, Mountain Lake and Westbrook.
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 Cottonwood County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 11,517 | 11,405 | ▼ 1.0% | 65th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,136 | 4,821 | ▼ 6.1% | 75th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,109 | $50,647 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 222 | 319 | ▲ 43.7% | 4th of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 5.5% | ▲ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 200 MW | 65% of today's fleet | 4th of 15 by size |
Employers here counted 4,821 jobs in 2025, down 6.1% from 2019. Owners plan to retire 5 MW more by 2035, led by Mountain Lake in 2026. 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Its power plants have 306 MW of capacity, 94% of it wind. Electrical contractors employ 42, at an average $57,857 a year. Federated Rural Electric Assn is the largest utility serving Cottonwood County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.64¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 11,405 people live here, down 1.0% since 2020.
Who powers Cottonwood County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +0 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Cottonwood County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federated Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,727 | 11.64¢ | 17% |
| South Central Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,665 | 15.20¢ | 23% |
| Brown County Rural Elec Assn | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Mountain Lake - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nobles Cooperative Electric | — | — | — | — | — |
| Redwood Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Westbrook | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Windom | — | — | — | — | — |
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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 287 MW | 94% |
| Petroleum | 18 MW | 6% |
| Natural gas | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odell Wind Farm | Algonquin Power Co | Wind | 200 MW | 2016 |
| Jeffers Wind 20 LLC | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Wind | 50 MW | 2008 |
| Odin Wind Farm LLC | Aspenall Energies (Delaware), LLC | Wind | 20 MW | 2008 |
| Windom Wind Project | Midwest Power Partners LLC | Wind | 16 MW | 2006 |
| Windom | City of Windom (MN) | Petroleum | 12 MW | 2001 |
| Mountain Lake | City of Mountain Lake - (MN) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1959 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plum Creek | Onshore Wind Turbine | 200 MW | Approvals pending | 2028 | Geronimo Power |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windom | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2022 |
| Mountain Lake | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2023 |
| Mountain Lake | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2026 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lake | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2026 |
| Mountain Lake | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2026 |
The Cottonwood County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,821 | $50,647 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 319 | $64,490 | 1.25 |
| Electrical contractors | 42 | $57,857 | 1.21 |
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 Cottonwood County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Cottonwood County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Cottonwood County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Cottonwood County, Nobles 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood County | 11,405 | ▼ 6.1% | 306 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Brown County | 25,517 | ▼ 4.7% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 9,857 | ▼ 5.6% | 359 MW | — | — | — |
| Murray County | 7,942 | ▼ 2.9% | 359 MW | — | — | — |
| Nobles County | 22,338 | ▼ 4.8% | 509 MW | — | — | — |
| Redwood County | 15,265 | ▼ 0.7% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Watonwan County | 11,459 | ▲ 2.6% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Cottonwood County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cottonwood County, Minnesota?
8 utilities have service territory in Cottonwood County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Federated Rural Electric Assn, South Central Electric Assn, Brown County Rural Elec Assn, City of Mountain Lake - (MN). The largest, Federated Rural Electric Assn, charged residential customers 11.64¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Cottonwood County?
7 operating plants with 306 MW of capacity. The largest is Odell Wind Farm (200 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Cottonwood County?
200 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Geronimo Power.
Are there data centers in Cottonwood County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cottonwood County.
Is Cottonwood County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,821 jobs in 2025 against 5,136 in 2019 (-6.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 222 to 319.
Does Cottonwood County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Cottonwood County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.