# Kanabec County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Mora, Arthur Township and Brunswick Township Kanabec 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. Kanabec County is home to Mora, Arthur Township, Brunswick Township and Knife Lake Township. Construction employs 332, up 26.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Employers here counted 4,175 jobs in 2025, up 6.8% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 87 Minnesota counties). Its power plants have 15 MW of capacity, 45% of it petroleum. East Central Energy is the largest utility serving Kanabec County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.89¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 1.5× the U.S. share of jobs in construction +6.8% total jobs since 2019, now 4,175 15 MW of operating power plants, mostly petroleum ## Cities and towns in Kanabec County Kanabec County is home to Mora, Arthur Township, Brunswick Township and Knife Lake Township. Mora3,763 residents Arthur Township1,856 residents Brunswick Township1,397 residents Knife Lake Township1,268 residents Comfort Township1,264 residents Grass Lake Township1,017 residents Peace Township1,005 residents Whited Township936 residents Kanabec Township859 residents South Fork Township804 residents Hillman Township425 residents Ann Lake Township410 residents Ogilvie396 residents Pomroy Township378 residents Hay Brook Township209 residents Kroschel Township197 residents Ford Township178 residents Grasston159 residents Quamba107 residents 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 Kanabec County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 16,054 | 16,628 | ▲ 3.6% | 52nd of 87 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,909 | 4,175 | ▲ 6.8% | 10th of 87 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,381 | $55,033 | ▲ 33.0% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 262 | 332 | ▲ 26.7% | 15th of 72 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.6% | 6.3% | ▼ 0.3pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Unemployment was 6.3% in August 2026, against 6.6% in 2019. 16,628 people live here, up 3.6% since 2020. ## Who powers Kanabec County ### Utilities with service territory in Kanabec County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | East Central Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 55,250 | 16.89¢ | 29% | | City of Mora - (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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Petroleum | 7 MW | 45% | | Natural gas | 7 MW | 44% | | Other technologies | 2 MW | 10% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Mora | City of Mora - (MN) | Natural gas | 14 MW | 1957 | | SMMPA Methane Energy Facility | Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2012 | ## The Kanabec County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 4,175 | $55,033 | 1.00 | | Construction | 332 | $93,099 | 1.50 | 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 Kanabec County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Kanabec County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Pine County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/pine-county). ## Kanabec County and its neighbors Of the 5 counties that border Kanabec County, Chisago 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Kanabec County | 16,628 | ▲ 6.8% | 15 MW | — | — | — | | Aitkin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/aitkin-county) | 16,252 | ▲ 6.1% | — | — | — | — | | Chisago County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chisago-county) | 59,142 | ▲ 4.2% | 191 MW | 80 MW | — | — | | Isanti County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/isanti-county) | 44,386 | ▲ 0.1% | 215 MW | 1 MW | — | — | | Mille Lacs County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/mille-lacs-county) | 27,753 | ▼ 2.4% | 12 MW | — | — | — | | Pine County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/pine-county) | 30,472 | ▼ 5.0% | 28 MW | — | — | 1 | ## More of Minnesota [All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Chisago County59,142 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chisago-county)[Isanti County44,386 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/isanti-county)[Pine County30,472 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/pine-county)[Mille Lacs County27,753 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/mille-lacs-county)[Aitkin County16,252 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/aitkin-county) ## Kanabec County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Kanabec County, Minnesota? 2 utilities have service territory in Kanabec County in the EIA-861 2024 report: East Central Energy, City of Mora - (MN). The largest, East Central Energy, charged residential customers 16.89¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Kanabec County? 2 operating plants with 15 MW of capacity. The largest is Mora (14 MW, natural gas). ### Are there data centers in Kanabec County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Kanabec County. ### Is Kanabec County adding jobs? Employers counted 4,175 jobs in 2025 against 3,909 in 2019 (+6.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 262 to 332. ### Does Kanabec County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Kanabec County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/kanabec-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).