Faribault County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Blue Earth, Wells and Winnebago
Faribault 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. Faribault County is home to Blue Earth, Wells, Winnebago and Minnesota Lake. Next door, Freeborn County has 1 data center. Construction employs 194, down 4.0% since 2019. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Wells IC (petroleum, 1 MW, 2019). Electrical contractors employ 24, up 9.1% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $62,362 a year.
Cities and towns in Faribault County
Faribault County is home to Blue Earth, Wells, Winnebago and Minnesota Lake.
And 7 smaller places.
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 Faribault County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,899 | 13,888 | ▼ 0.1% | 59th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,487 | 4,468 | ▼ 0.4% | 39th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,364 | $53,484 | ▲ 29.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 202 | 194 | ▼ 4.0% | 58th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22 | 24 | ▲ 9.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Its power plants have 60 MW of capacity, 64% of it wind. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Faribault County, one of 8 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 4,468 jobs in 2025, down 0.4% from 2019. 13,888 people live here, down 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Faribault County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Faribault 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% |
| BENCO Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,361 | 15.03¢ | 24% |
| Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,842 | 15.15¢ | 28% |
| Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,725 | 15.63¢ | 20% |
| Federated Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,727 | 11.64¢ | 17% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 38 | 12.14¢ | 0% |
| Blue Earth Light & Water | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Wells - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 39 MW | 64% |
| Petroleum | 13 MW | 21% |
| Natural gas | 7 MW | 12% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Blue | Big Blue Wind Farm LLC (MN) | Wind | 36 MW | 2012 |
| Blue Earth | Blue Earth Light & Water | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1960 |
| Wells IC | City of Wells - (MN) | Natural gas | 9 MW | 1953 |
| CF Novel Solar CSG Gardens Two, LLC | SunStrong Management, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
| Blue Breezes II LLC | Midwest Power Partners LLC | Wind | 1 MW | 2006 |
| Blue Breezes LLC | Midwest Power Partners LLC | Wind | 1 MW | 2006 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells IC | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2019 |
The Faribault County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,468 | $53,484 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 194 | $54,031 | 0.82 |
| Electrical contractors | 24 | $62,362 | 0.74 |
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 Faribault County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Faribault County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Faribault County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Faribault County, Martin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faribault County | 13,888 | ▼ 0.4% | 60 MW | — | — | — |
| Blue Earth County | 70,634 | ▲ 3.0% | 826 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Freeborn County | 30,440 | ▼ 3.0% | 428 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Kossuth County IA | 14,322 | ▼ 3.4% | 462 MW | — | — | — |
| Martin County | 19,440 | ▼ 1.2% | 845 MW | — | — | — |
| Waseca County | 18,688 | ▼ 9.9% | 38 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Winnebago County IA | 10,251 | ▼ 9.6% | 332 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Faribault County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Faribault County, Minnesota?
8 utilities have service territory in Faribault County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, BENCO Electric Cooperative, Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative, Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Faribault County?
6 operating plants with 60 MW of capacity. The largest is Big Blue (36 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Faribault County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Faribault County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Freeborn County.
Is Faribault County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,468 jobs in 2025 against 4,487 in 2019 (-0.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 202 to 194.
Does Faribault County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Faribault County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.