Mower County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Austin and Grand Meadow
Mower County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Mower County is home to Austin, Grand Meadow, Le Roy and Lansing Township. Next door, Olmsted County has 5 data centers. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,145 MW of capacity, 55% of it wind, the 3rd largest fleet in Minnesota. 53 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Mower County
Mower County is home to Austin, Grand Meadow, Le Roy and Lansing Township.
And 10 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lansing.
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 Mower County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 40,068 | 40,971 | ▲ 2.3% | 26th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,314 | 16,974 | ▲ 4.0% | 20th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,568 | $63,525 | ▲ 28.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 503 | 503 | ● 0.0% | 51st of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 53 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Construction employs 503, unchanged since 2019. Employers here counted 16,974 jobs in 2025, up 4.0% from 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Mower 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. 40,971 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Mower County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +53 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Mower 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% |
| People's Cooperative Services | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,665 | 16.70¢ | 22% |
| Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,842 | 15.15¢ | 28% |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,224 | 16.56¢ | 23% |
| City of Austin - (MN) | Municipal | Bundled | 10,795 | 15.34¢ | 39% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 38 | 12.14¢ | 0% |
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 9
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 624 MW | 55% |
| Natural gas | 468 MW | 41% |
| Solar | 53 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley (MN) | Great River Energy | Natural gas | 468 MW | 2001 |
| Pleasant Valley Wind Farm | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Wind | 200 MW | 2015 |
| Prairie Star Wind Farm | High Prairie Wind Farm II LLC | Wind | 101 MW | 2007 |
| Grand Meadow | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Wind | 100 MW | 2008 |
| Wapsipinicon Wind Project | EDF Renewable Asset Holdings, Inc. | Wind | 100 MW | 2009 |
| Mower County Wind Energy Center | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Wind | 99 MW | 2006 |
The Mower County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,974 | $63,525 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 503 | $71,494 | 0.56 |
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 Mower County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mower County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Mitchell County.
Mower County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Mower County, Olmsted 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mower County | 40,971 | ▲ 4.0% | 1,145 MW | — | — | — |
| Dodge County | 21,376 | ▼ 1.1% | 76 MW | 228 MW | — | — |
| Fillmore County | 21,540 | ▲ 1.0% | 65 MW | — | — | — |
| Freeborn County | 30,440 | ▼ 3.0% | 428 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Howard County IA | 9,415 | ▲ 4.3% | 167 MW | — | — | — |
| Mitchell County IA | 10,650 | ▼ 17.9% | 526 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Olmsted County | 166,731 | ▲ 4.5% | 231 MW | 33 MW | 5 | — |
| Steele County | 37,464 | ▼ 11.9% | 125 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Worth County IA | 7,338 | ▼ 3.3% | 355 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Mower County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Mower County, Minnesota?
6 utilities have service territory in Mower County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, People's Cooperative Services, Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative, MiEnergy Cooperative. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Austin, MN in?
Austin is in Mower County, Minnesota. About 26,689 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Mower County?
9 operating plants with 1,145 MW of capacity. The largest is Pleasant Valley (MN) (468 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Mower County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mower County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Olmsted County.
Is Mower County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,974 jobs in 2025 against 16,314 in 2019 (+4.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 503 to 503.
Does Mower County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Mower County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.