Martin County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Fairmont, Truman and Sherburn
Martin County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Martin County is home to Fairmont, Truman, Sherburn and Welcome. Its power plants have 845 MW of capacity, 67% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in Minnesota. Construction employs 282, up 0.4% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Federated Rural Electric Assn is the largest utility serving Martin County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.64¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities.
Cities and towns in Martin County
Martin County is home to Fairmont, Truman, Sherburn and Welcome.
And 5 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 Martin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 19,998 | 19,440 | ▼ 2.8% | 49th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,488 | 8,383 | ▼ 1.2% | 49th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,779 | $54,559 | ▲ 24.6% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 281 | 282 | ▲ 0.4% | 49th of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.3% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 8,383 jobs in 2025, down 1.2% from 2019. 19,440 people live here, down 2.8% since 2020.
Who powers Martin County
Utilities with service territory in Martin County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federated Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,727 | 11.64¢ | 17% |
| South Central Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,665 | 15.20¢ | 23% |
| City of Ceylon - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fairmont Public Utilities Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
| Truman Public Utilities Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 562 MW | 67% |
| Wind | 257 MW | 30% |
| Petroleum | 21 MW | 3% |
| Other technologies | 5 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakefield Junction | Great River Energy | Natural gas | 538 MW | 2001 |
| Elm Creek Wind II LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 149 MW | 2010 |
| Trimont Area Wind Farm | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 100 MW | 2005 |
| Fairmont (MN) | Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | Natural gas | 39 MW | 1975 |
| Truman | City of Truman - (MN) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1975 |
| Fairmont Wind | Southern Minnesota Mun P Agny | Wind | 5 MW | 2003 |
The Martin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,383 | $54,559 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 282 | $68,902 | 0.63 |
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 Martin County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Martin County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Emmet County.
Martin County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Martin County, Blue Earth 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin County | 19,440 | ▼ 1.2% | 845 MW | — | — | — |
| Blue Earth County | 70,634 | ▲ 3.0% | 826 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Emmet County IA | 9,107 | ▼ 12.1% | 17 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Faribault County | 13,888 | ▼ 0.4% | 60 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 9,857 | ▼ 5.6% | 359 MW | — | — | — |
| Kossuth County IA | 14,322 | ▼ 3.4% | 462 MW | — | — | — |
| Watonwan County | 11,459 | ▲ 2.6% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Martin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Martin County, Minnesota?
5 utilities have service territory in Martin County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Federated Rural Electric Assn, South Central Electric Assn, City of Ceylon - (MN), Fairmont Public Utilities Comm. The largest, Federated Rural Electric Assn, charged residential customers 11.64¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Fairmont, MN in?
Fairmont is in Martin County, Minnesota. About 10,099 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Martin County?
8 operating plants with 845 MW of capacity. The largest is Lakefield Junction (538 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Martin County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Martin County.
Is Martin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 8,383 jobs in 2025 against 8,488 in 2019 (-1.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 281 to 282.
Does Martin County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Martin County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.