Hennepin County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Minneapolis, Bloomington and Brooklyn Park
Hennepin County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 48 data centers in Hennepin County, 40% of Minnesota's total. Hennepin County is home to Minneapolis, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park and Plymouth. 2 projects are on the Delay Watchlist, including Legacy Investing North Loop Data Center (former Star Tribune Heritage Printing Facility) (20 MW). Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Construction employs 34,000, up 12.9% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Hennepin County
Hennepin County is home to Minneapolis, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park and Plymouth.
And 16 smaller places.
- St. Anthony also extends into Ramsey County.
- Hanover also extends into Wright 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 Hennepin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,281,663 | 1,284,784 | ▲ 0.2% | 1st of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 936,694 | 919,062 | ▼ 1.9% | 53rd of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $73,218 | $92,294 | ▲ 26.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 30,109 | 34,000 | ▲ 12.9% | 28th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,703 | 5,859 | ▲ 2.7% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 227 | 322 | ▲ 41.9% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,367 | 2,846 | ▲ 20.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,418 | 3,731 | ▲ 9.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.6% | ▲ 1.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 696 MW of capacity, 89% of it natural gas. Owners plan to retire 14 MW more by 2035, led by Hennepin Island in 2034. 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Electrical contractors employ 5,859, up 2.7% since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $116,206 a year. Employers here counted 919,062 jobs in 2025, down 1.9% from 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Hennepin County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.98¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 1,284,784 people live here, up 0.2% since 2020, 1st of 87 Minnesota counties by population.
Who powers Hennepin County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Hennepin 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% |
| Connexus Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 134,095 | 13.66¢ | 30% |
| Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 53,714 | 14.59¢ | 30% |
| Minnesota Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 43,412 | 13.98¢ | 43% |
| City of Elk River | Municipal | Bundled | 11,776 | 15.83¢ | 9% |
| City of Anoka | Municipal | Bundled | 11,646 | 15.88¢ | 31% |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 620 MW | 89% |
| Other technologies | 40 MW | 6% |
| Hydro | 23 MW | 3% |
| Solar | 13 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside (MN) | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Natural gas | 586 MW | 1987 |
| Covanta Hennepin Energy | Covanta Energy Co | Other technologies | 40 MW | 1989 |
| Univ Minnesota CHP Plant | University of Minnesota Central Utilities | Natural gas | 21 MW | 2017 |
| Hennepin Island | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Hydro | 14 MW | 1954 |
| Southeast Steam Plant | University of Minnesota Central Utilities | Natural gas | 13 MW | 1998 |
| SAF Hydroelectric LLC | SAF Hydroelectric LLC | Hydro | 10 MW | 2011 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin Island | Hydro | 14 MW | 2034 |
The Hennepin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 919,062 | $92,294 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 34,000 | $106,573 | 0.70 |
| Electrical contractors | 5,859 | $116,206 | 0.88 |
| Power and communication line construction | 322 | $96,150 | 0.22 |
| Electric utilities | 2,846 | $172,453 | 1.14 |
| Data processing and hosting | 3,731 | $175,836 | 1.31 |
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 Hennepin County
48 data centers in Hennepin County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 2
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy Investing North Loop Data Center (former Star Tribune Heritage Printing Facility) | withdrawn | 20 MW | ||
| Minneapolis Citywide Data Center Development Pause | moratorium in force | — |
Hennepin County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Hennepin County, Sherburne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County | 1,284,784 | ▼ 1.9% | 696 MW | — | 48 | — |
| Anoka County | 381,605 | ▲ 4.3% | 17 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Carver County | 114,379 | ▲ 0.3% | 151 MW | — | 11 | — |
| Dakota County | 457,710 | ▼ 1.1% | 1,065 MW | — | 16 | — |
| Ramsey County | 541,623 | ▼ 1.3% | 701 MW | — | 9 | — |
| Scott County | 159,017 | ▲ 16.6% | 442 MW | 136 MW | 5 | — |
| Sherburne County | 104,194 | ▲ 8.4% | 2,670 MW | 611 MW | 2 | — |
| Wright County | 157,559 | ▲ 9.4% | 806 MW | — | — | 2 |
More of Minnesota
Hennepin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Hennepin County, Minnesota?
6 utilities have service territory in Hennepin County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Connexus Energy, Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn, Minnesota Valley Electric Coop. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Minneapolis, MN in?
Minneapolis is in Hennepin County, Minnesota. About 430,324 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Bloomington, MN in?
Bloomington is in Hennepin County, Minnesota. About 89,034 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Brooklyn Park, MN in?
Brooklyn Park is in Hennepin County, Minnesota. About 83,543 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Hennepin County?
9 operating plants with 696 MW of capacity. The largest is Riverside (MN) (586 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Hennepin County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 48 data centers in Hennepin County.
Is Hennepin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 919,062 jobs in 2025 against 936,694 in 2019 (-1.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 30,109 to 34,000.
Does Hennepin County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Hennepin County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.