Mille Lacs County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Princeton, Milaca and Princeton Township
Mille Lacs 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. Mille Lacs County is home to most of Princeton (5,209 of its 5,480 residents), Milaca, Princeton Township and Borgholm Township. Next door, Sherburne County has 2 data centers and 611 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 485, up 6.1% since 2019. Its power plants have 12 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Unemployment was 5.8% in August 2026, against 5.2% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Mille Lacs County
Mille Lacs County is home to most of Princeton (5,209 of its 5,480 residents), Milaca, Princeton Township and Borgholm Township.
- Princeton also extends into Sherburne County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Vineland.
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 Mille Lacs County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 26,475 | 27,753 | ▲ 4.8% | 39th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,725 | 9,490 | ▼ 2.4% | 58th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,023 | $48,600 | ▲ 31.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 457 | 485 | ▲ 6.1% | 42nd of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.2% | 5.8% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 9,490 jobs in 2025, down 2.4% from 2019. Connexus Energy is the largest utility serving Mille Lacs County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.66¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 27,753 people live here, up 4.8% since 2020.
Who powers Mille Lacs County
Utilities with service territory in Mille Lacs County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connexus Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 134,095 | 13.66¢ | 30% |
| East Central Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 55,250 | 16.89¢ | 29% |
| Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,546 | 17.58¢ | 20% |
| Princeton Public Utils 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton (MN) | Princeton Public Utils Comm | Petroleum | 12 MW | 1953 |
The Mille Lacs County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,490 | $48,600 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 485 | $71,579 | 0.96 |
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 Mille Lacs County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mille Lacs County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Mille Lacs County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Mille Lacs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs County | 27,753 | ▼ 2.4% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Aitkin County | 16,252 | ▲ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Benton County | 41,744 | ▼ 1.9% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Crow Wing County | 69,132 | ▲ 4.6% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Isanti County | 44,386 | ▲ 0.1% | 215 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Kanabec County | 16,628 | ▲ 6.8% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Morrison County | 34,620 | ▲ 4.5% | 34 MW | — | — | — |
| Sherburne County | 104,194 | ▲ 8.4% | 2,670 MW | 611 MW | 2 | — |
More of Minnesota
Mille Lacs County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?
4 utilities have service territory in Mille Lacs County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Connexus Energy, East Central Energy, Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative, Princeton Public Utils Comm. The largest, Connexus Energy, charged residential customers 13.66¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Mille Lacs County?
1 operating plant with 12 MW of capacity. The largest is Princeton (MN) (12 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Mille Lacs County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mille Lacs County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Sherburne County.
Is Mille Lacs County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,490 jobs in 2025 against 9,725 in 2019 (-2.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 457 to 485.
Does Mille Lacs County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Mille Lacs County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.