Dakota County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lakeville, Eagan and Burnsville
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Dakota County. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Dakota County, 13% of Minnesota's total. Dakota County is home to Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville and Apple Valley. 6 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including Farmington Technology Park (Tract) (708 MW). Owners plan to retire 609 MW more by 2035, led by Black Dog in 2031. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Dakota County
Dakota County is home to Lakeville, Eagan, Burnsville and Apple Valley.
And 10 smaller places.
- Northfield also extends into Rice County.
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 Dakota County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 440,419 | 457,710 | ▲ 3.9% | 3rd of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 191,192 | 189,166 | ▼ 1.1% | 44th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $58,051 | $74,673 | ▲ 28.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,275 | 10,496 | ▲ 2.2% | 44th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 787 | 899 | ▲ 14.2% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 75 | 133 | ▲ 77.3% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 467 | 520 | ▲ 11.3% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 252 | 242 | ▼ 4.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.6% | ▲ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 145 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 23 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 899, up 14.2% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $101,676 a year. Its power plants have 1,065 MW of capacity, 86% of it natural gas, the 4th largest fleet in Minnesota. 23 MW has retired here since 2019, including Thomson Reuters Data Center Bldg H (petroleum, 8 MW, 2024). Construction employs 10,496, up 2.2% since 2019. 145 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Dakota County, one of 4 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 189,166 jobs in 2025, down 1.1% from 2019. 457,710 people live here, up 3.9% since 2020, 3rd of 87 Minnesota counties by population.
Who powers Dakota County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +122 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Dakota 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% |
| Dakota Electric Association | Cooperative | Bundled | 108,097 | 14.00¢ | 49% |
| Minnesota Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 43,412 | 13.98¢ | 43% |
| Goodhue County Coop Elec 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 31
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 917 MW | 86% |
| Solar | 110 MW | 10% |
| Petroleum | 27 MW | 3% |
| Hydro | 9 MW | 1% |
| Wind | 2 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Dog | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Natural gas | 563 MW | 1954 |
| Inver Hills | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Natural gas | 284 MW | 1972 |
| Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend, LLC | Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend, LLC | Natural gas | 118 MW | 2019 |
| Thomson Reuters Campus Bldg A-D | Thomson Corp | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1999 |
| West Group Data Center | CADC MSP01, LLC | Petroleum | 8 MW | 2005 |
| Equuleus Community Solar Gardens | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomson Reuters Data Center Bldg H | Petroleum | 8 MW | 2024 |
| West Group Data Center F | Petroleum | 8 MW | 2024 |
| EKS Landfill | Other technologies | 5 MW | 2020 |
| Byllesby | Hydro | 2 MW | 2022 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Dog | Natural gas | 325 MW | 2031 |
| Inver Hills | Natural gas | 281 MW | 2030 |
| Inver Hills | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2029 |
The Dakota County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 189,166 | $74,673 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 10,496 | $101,031 | 1.05 |
| Electrical contractors | 899 | $101,676 | 0.66 |
| Power and communication line construction | 133 | $108,178 | 0.44 |
| Electric utilities | 520 | $159,243 | 1.02 |
| Data processing and hosting | 242 | $111,740 | 0.41 |
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 Dakota County
16 data centers in Dakota County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 6
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington Technology Park (Tract) | active litigation | 708 MW | ||
| QLevr data center (former Travel Tags site) | approved amid opposition | 5 MW | ||
| Eagan Capital Expansion (Data Center Moratorium Suit) | active litigation | — | ||
| Meta Rosemount Data Center (UMore Park) | final decision paused | — | ||
| Inver Grove Heights Proposed Data Center | final vote delayed | — | ||
| Inver Grove Heights Proposed Data Center | final vote delayed | — |
Dakota County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Dakota County, Hennepin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota County | 457,710 | ▼ 1.1% | 1,065 MW | — | 16 | — |
| Goodhue County | 48,195 | ▲ 0.7% | 1,611 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Hennepin County | 1,284,784 | ▼ 1.9% | 696 MW | — | 48 | — |
| Pierce County WI | 43,519 | ▲ 0.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Ramsey County | 541,623 | ▼ 1.3% | 701 MW | — | 9 | — |
| Rice County | 69,939 | ▲ 3.5% | 404 MW | 6 MW | — | — |
| Scott County | 159,017 | ▲ 16.6% | 442 MW | 136 MW | 5 | — |
| Washington County | 286,895 | ▲ 9.3% | 924 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
More of Minnesota
Dakota County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Dakota County, Minnesota?
4 utilities have service territory in Dakota County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Dakota Electric Association, Minnesota Valley Electric Coop, Goodhue County Coop Elec Assn. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lakeville, MN in?
Lakeville is in Dakota County, Minnesota. About 79,270 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Eagan, MN in?
Eagan is in Dakota County, Minnesota. About 67,109 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Burnsville, MN in?
Burnsville is in Dakota County, Minnesota. About 65,244 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Dakota County?
31 operating plants with 1,065 MW of capacity. The largest is Black Dog (563 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Dakota County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Dakota County.
Is Dakota County adding jobs?
Employers counted 189,166 jobs in 2025 against 191,192 in 2019 (-1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 10,275 to 10,496.
Does Dakota County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Dakota County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.