# Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Madison and Dawson

Lac qui Parle 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. Lac qui Parle County is home to Madison and Dawson. Employers here counted 2,145 jobs in 2025, down 3.3% from 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Lac qui Parle 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. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. 6,704 people live here, up 0.2% since 2020.

-3.3%
total jobs since 2019, now 2,145

16.98¢
per kWh for Northern States Power Co - Minnesota residential customers, 2024

6,704
residents, 2025

## Cities and towns in Lac qui Parle County

Lac qui Parle County is home to Madison and Dawson.

Madison1,504 residents
Dawson1,444 residents
Camp Release Township307 residents
Riverside Township285 residents
Madison Township210 residents
Lac qui Parle Township190 residents
Cerro Gordo Township184 residents
Baxter Township180 residents
Lake Shore Township169 residents
Providence Township160 residents
Maxwell Township159 residents
Hamlin Township149 residents
Ten Mile Lake Township148 residents
Bellingham144 residents
Boyd143 residents
Yellow Bank Township138 residents
Walter Township129 residents
Arena Township125 residents
Marietta117 residents
Garfield Township117 residents
Augusta Township96 residents
Hantho Township96 residents
Freeland Township90 residents
Perry Township89 residents

And 4 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 Lac qui Parle County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 6,692 | 6,704 | ▲ 0.2% | 76th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,219 | 2,145 | ▼ 3.3% | 64th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,843 | $48,079 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 91 | 96 | ▲ 5.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.0% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |

## Who powers Lac qui Parle County

### Utilities with service territory in Lac qui Parle 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% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 50,118 | 11.33¢ | 37% |
| Minnesota Valley Coop L&P Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,931 | 12.22¢ | 8% |
| H-D Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Madison - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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.

No operating power plant is located in Lac qui Parle County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.

## The Lac qui Parle County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,145 | $48,079 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 96 | $57,935 | 0.84 |

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 Lac qui Parle County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lac qui Parle County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.

## Lac qui Parle County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Lac qui Parle County, Deuel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lac qui Parle County | 6,704 | ▼ 3.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Big Stone County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/big-stone-county) | 5,054 | ▲ 3.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Chippewa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chippewa-county) | 12,406 | ▼ 10.6% | 66 MW | — | — | — |
| Deuel County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/deuel-county) SD | 4,408 | ▲ 14.4% | 803 MW | 145 MW | — | — |
| Grant County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/grant-county) SD | 7,534 | ▼ 2.5% | 915 MW | — | — | — |
| Swift County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/swift-county) | 9,763 | ▲ 2.2% | 9 MW | — | — | — |
| Yellow Medicine County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/yellow-medicine-county) | 9,477 | ▼ 10.9% | 14 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Minnesota

[All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Chippewa County12,406 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chippewa-county)[Swift County9,763 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/swift-county)[Yellow Medicine County9,477 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/yellow-medicine-county)[Big Stone County5,054 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/big-stone-county)

## Lac qui Parle County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota?

6 utilities have service territory in Lac qui Parle County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Otter Tail Power Co, Minnesota Valley Coop L&P Assn, H-D Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### Are there data centers in Lac qui Parle County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lac qui Parle County.

### Is Lac qui Parle County adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,145 jobs in 2025 against 2,219 in 2019 (-3.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 91 to 96.

### Does Lac qui Parle County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Lac qui Parle County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/lac-qui-parle-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/).