Itasca County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Grand Rapids, Harris Township and Cohasset
Itasca County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Construction employs 1,183, up 49.6% since 2019, and construction is 1.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Itasca County is home to Grand Rapids, Harris Township, Cohasset and Coleraine. Next door, St. Louis County has 7 data centers. Its power plants have 956 MW of capacity, 97% of it coal, the 6th largest fleet in Minnesota. 3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Itasca County
Itasca County is home to Grand Rapids, Harris Township, Cohasset and Coleraine.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ball Club, Goodland, Inger.
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 Itasca County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 45,022 | 45,404 | ▲ 0.8% | 22nd of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,224 | 16,444 | ▲ 1.4% | 29th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,587 | $56,933 | ▲ 33.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 791 | 1,183 | ▲ 49.6% | 3rd of 72 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 300 | 317 | ▲ 5.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.4% | 6.3% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
ALLETE, Inc. is the largest utility serving Itasca County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.66¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. Employers here counted 16,444 jobs in 2025, up 1.4% from 2019. Unemployment was 6.3% in August 2026, against 6.4% in 2019. 45,404 people live here, up 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Itasca County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Itasca County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLETE, Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 125,896 | 15.66¢ | 14% |
| Lake Country Power | Cooperative | Bundled | 47,204 | 17.90¢ | 17% |
| Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,732 | 14.40¢ | 35% |
| Grand Rapids Public Util Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keewatin Public Utilities | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Nashwauk - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Itasca Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 922 MW | 97% |
| Natural gas | 26 MW | 3% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 0% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 0% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Boswell | ALLETE, Inc. | Coal | 923 MW | 1973 |
| Rapids Energy Center | ALLETE, Inc. | Natural gas | 28 MW | 1943 |
| USS Itasca Clean Energy Solar LLC | United States Solar Corporation | Battery storage | 3 MW | 2022 |
| Prairie River | ALLETE, Inc. | Hydro | 1 MW | 1920 |
The Itasca County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,444 | $56,933 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,183 | $85,864 | 1.36 |
| Electric utilities | 317 | $134,877 | 7.12 |
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 Itasca County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Itasca County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Itasca County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Itasca County, St. Louis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itasca County | 45,404 | ▲ 1.4% | 956 MW | — | — | — |
| Aitkin County | 16,252 | ▲ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Beltrami County | 47,055 | ▲ 2.5% | 51 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Cass County | 31,430 | ▲ 0.7% | 19 MW | — | — | — |
| Koochiching County | 11,587 | ▼ 8.0% | 66 MW | — | — | — |
| St. Louis County | 200,518 | ▼ 3.4% | 269 MW | — | 7 | — |
More of Minnesota
Itasca County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Itasca County, Minnesota?
7 utilities have service territory in Itasca County in the EIA-861 2024 report: ALLETE, Inc., Lake Country Power, Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc, Grand Rapids Public Util Comm. The largest, ALLETE, Inc., charged residential customers 15.66¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Grand Rapids, MN in?
Grand Rapids is in Itasca County, Minnesota. About 11,181 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Itasca County?
4 operating plants with 956 MW of capacity. The largest is Clay Boswell (923 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Itasca County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Itasca County. The nearest activity on record is next door in St. Louis County.
Is Itasca County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,444 jobs in 2025 against 16,224 in 2019 (+1.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 791 to 1,183.
Does Itasca County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Itasca County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.