Crow Wing County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Brainerd, Baxter and Breezy Point
The build-out shows up in Crow Wing County as work for the electrical trades. Crow Wing County is home to Brainerd, Baxter, Breezy Point and Pequot Lakes. Electrical contractors employ 287, up 32.9% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $82,096 a year. 7 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Owners plan to retire 1 MW more by 2035, led by Brainerd Public Utilities in 2028. Employers here counted 31,145 jobs in 2025, up 4.6% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Crow Wing County
Crow Wing County is home to Brainerd, Baxter, Breezy Point and Pequot Lakes.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Merrifield.
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 Crow Wing County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 66,284 | 69,132 | ▲ 4.3% | 15th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 29,762 | 31,145 | ▲ 4.6% | 14th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,731 | $55,346 | ▲ 32.6% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 216 | 287 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 4.9% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 7 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 10 MW of capacity, 71% of it solar. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. ALLETE, Inc. is the largest utility serving Crow Wing County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.66¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 69,132 people live here, up 4.3% since 2020.
Who powers Crow Wing County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +7 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Crow Wing County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLETE, Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 125,896 | 15.66¢ | 14% |
| Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp | Cooperative | Bundled | 44,698 | 13.33¢ | 21% |
| Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,546 | 17.58¢ | 20% |
| Brainerd Public Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 6,956 | 12.15¢ | 84% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 7 MW | 71% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 29% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd Airport | Onsite Partners, LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 2022 |
| Brainerd Public Utilities | Brainerd Public Utilities | Hydro | 3 MW | 1917 |
| Brainerd Waste Water Plant | Brainerd Solar LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2024 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd Public Utilities | Hydro | 1 MW | 2028 |
The Crow Wing County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 31,145 | $55,346 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 287 | $82,096 | 1.28 |
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 Crow Wing County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Crow Wing County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Crow Wing County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Crow Wing County, Morrison 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow Wing County | 69,132 | ▲ 4.6% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Aitkin County | 16,252 | ▲ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Cass County | 31,430 | ▲ 0.7% | 19 MW | — | — | — |
| Mille Lacs County | 27,753 | ▼ 2.4% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Morrison County | 34,620 | ▲ 4.5% | 34 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Crow Wing County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Crow Wing County, Minnesota?
4 utilities have service territory in Crow Wing County in the EIA-861 2024 report: ALLETE, Inc., Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp, Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative, Brainerd Public Utilities. The largest, ALLETE, Inc., charged residential customers 15.66¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Brainerd, MN in?
Brainerd is in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. About 14,428 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Crow Wing County?
3 operating plants with 10 MW of capacity. The largest is Brainerd Airport (6 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Crow Wing County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Crow Wing County.
Is Crow Wing County adding jobs?
Employers counted 31,145 jobs in 2025 against 29,762 in 2019 (+4.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Crow Wing County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Crow Wing County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.