Grant County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Elbow Lake
Grant 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. Grant County is home to Elbow Lake and Hoffman. Construction employs 155, down 9.9% since 2019, and construction is 1.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Douglas County has 1 data center. Its power plants have 21 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Otter Tail Power Co is the largest utility serving Grant County, one of 6 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 Grant County
Grant County is home to Elbow Lake and Hoffman.
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 Grant County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 6,093 | 6,085 | ▼ 0.1% | 79th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,904 | 1,904 | ● 0.0% | 37th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,974 | $51,792 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 172 | 155 | ▼ 9.9% | 66th of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 5.0% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 1,904 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019. 6,085 people live here, down 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Grant County
Utilities with service territory in Grant 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% |
| Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN) | Cooperative | Bundled | 27,239 | 13.28¢ | 26% |
| Runestone Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,282 | 14.36¢ | 10% |
| City of Elbow Lake - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Traverse Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 100% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 21 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County Wind LLC | Grant County Wind, LLC | Wind | 21 MW | 2010 |
The Grant County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,904 | $51,792 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 155 | $59,974 | 1.54 |
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 Grant County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Grant County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Grant County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Grant County, Douglas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County | 6,085 | ● 0.0% | 21 MW | — | — | — |
| Douglas County | 40,120 | ▲ 1.9% | 17 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Otter Tail County | 61,041 | ▼ 1.1% | 53 MW | — | — | — |
| Pope County | 11,420 | ▼ 2.0% | 29 MW | — | — | — |
| Stevens County | 9,747 | ▲ 4.7% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Traverse County | 3,130 | ▼ 13.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Wilkin County | 6,288 | ▼ 8.2% | — | 1 MW | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Grant County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Grant County, Minnesota?
6 utilities have service territory in Grant County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Otter Tail Power Co, Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN), Runestone Electric Assn, City of Elbow Lake - (MN). The largest, Otter Tail Power Co, charged residential customers 11.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Grant County?
1 operating plant with 21 MW of capacity. The largest is Grant County Wind LLC (21 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Grant County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Grant County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Douglas County.
Is Grant County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,904 jobs in 2025 against 1,904 in 2019 (+0.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 172 to 155.
Does Grant County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Grant County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.