# Olmsted County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Rochester, Stewartville and Byron

The data center boom is not abstract in Olmsted County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Olmsted County, 4% of Minnesota's total. Olmsted County is home to Rochester, Stewartville, Byron and Marion Township. 33 MW of new generation is planned here across 9 units, led by Franklin Heating Station (other technologies), the 8th largest pipeline among Minnesota's counties. 30 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 4,491, up 12.2% since 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.

5
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 4% of Minnesota's

33 MW
of new generation planned here, other technologies leading

8 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

## Cities and towns in Olmsted County

Olmsted County is home to Rochester, Stewartville, Byron and Marion Township.

Rochester124,292 residents
Stewartville6,850 residents
Byron6,740 residents
Marion Township4,111 residents
Cascade Township2,810 residents
Oronoco Township2,491 residents
Rochester Township2,280 residents
Oronoco2,043 residents
Eyota2,013 residents
Haverhill Township1,473 residents
New Haven Township1,259 residents
Kalmar Township1,157 residents
Chatfield1,152 residents · 38% of the city
Salem Township1,058 residents
High Forest Township940 residents
Pine Island902 residents · 23% of the city
Dover761 residents
Pleasant Grove Township723 residents
Rock Dell Township681 residents
Orion Township529 residents
Viola Township527 residents
Eyota Township496 residents
Dover Township385 residents
Farmington Township379 residents

And 2 smaller places.
- Chatfield also extends into [Fillmore County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/fillmore-county).
- Pine Island also extends into [Goodhue County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/goodhue-county).

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): High Forest, Marion.

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 Olmsted County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 163,055 | 166,731 | ▲ 2.3% | 7th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 100,718 | 105,239 | ▲ 4.5% | 16th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $64,643 | $83,402 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,001 | 4,491 | ▲ 12.2% | 30th of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 3.8% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 26 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 8 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 33 MW | 14% of today's fleet | 8th of 15 by size |

8 MW has retired here since 2019, including Franklin Heating Station (natural gas, 5 MW, 2021). 26 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 105,239 jobs in 2025, up 4.5% from 2019. Its power plants have 231 MW of capacity, 65% of it natural gas. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Olmsted 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. 166,731 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020, 7th of 87 Minnesota counties by population.

## Who powers Olmsted County

### Utilities with service territory in Olmsted 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% |
| Rochester Public Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 54,943 | 17.91¢ | 59% |
| 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% |
| Goodhue County Coop Elec Assn | — | — | — | — | — |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 150 MW | 65% |
| Petroleum | 38 MW | 16% |
| Solar | 25 MW | 11% |
| Other technologies | 18 MW | 8% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Creek | Rochester Public Utilities | Natural gas | 85 MW | 1975 |
| Westside Energy Station | Rochester Public Utilities | Natural gas | 46 MW | 2018 |
| Franklin Heating Station | Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum | 34 MW | 1951 |
| Saint Marys Hospital Power Plant | St Mary's Hospital | Petroleum | 16 MW | 1971 |
| Olmsted Waste Energy | Olmsted County Public Works - (MN) | Other technologies | 11 MW | 1987 |
| Westside Solar | Westside Solar, LLC (Ecofin) | Solar | 10 MW | 2022 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Heating Station | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 8 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Franklin Heating Station | Petroleum Liquids | 3 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Franklin Heating Station |
| Ringe | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | OneEnergy, Inc. |
| Kalmar | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | OneEnergy, Inc. |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Heating Station | Natural gas | 5 MW | 2021 |
| Saint Marys Hospital Power Plant | Natural gas | 3 MW | 2020 |

## The Olmsted County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 105,239 | $83,402 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,491 | $83,698 | 0.81 |
| Data processing and hosting | 9 | $135,221 | 0.03 |

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 Olmsted County

5 data centers in Olmsted County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Olmsted County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Olmsted County, Goodhue 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olmsted County | 166,731 | ▲ 4.5% | 231 MW | 33 MW | 5 | — |
| Dodge County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/dodge-county) | 21,376 | ▼ 1.1% | 76 MW | 228 MW | — | — |
| Fillmore County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/fillmore-county) | 21,540 | ▲ 1.0% | 65 MW | — | — | — |
| Goodhue County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/goodhue-county) | 48,195 | ▲ 0.7% | 1,611 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Mower County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/mower-county) | 40,971 | ▲ 4.0% | 1,145 MW | — | — | — |
| Wabasha County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wabasha-county) | 21,537 | ▼ 4.1% | 16 MW | — | — | — |
| Winona County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/winona-county) | 50,523 | ▼ 2.3% | 32 MW | — | 1 | — |

## More of Minnesota

[All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Winona County50,523 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/winona-county)[Goodhue County48,195 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/goodhue-county)[Mower County40,971 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/mower-county)[Fillmore County21,540 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/fillmore-county)[Wabasha County21,537 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wabasha-county)

## Olmsted County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Olmsted County, Minnesota?

6 utilities have service territory in Olmsted County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Rochester Public Utilities, People's Cooperative Services, Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Rochester, MN in?

Rochester is in Olmsted County, Minnesota. About 124,292 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Olmsted County?

17 operating plants with 231 MW of capacity. The largest is Cascade Creek (85 MW, natural gas).

### How much new power is planned in Olmsted County?

33 MW across 9 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 30 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Franklin Heating Station.

### Are there data centers in Olmsted County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 5 data centers in Olmsted County.

### Is Olmsted County adding jobs?

Employers counted 105,239 jobs in 2025 against 100,718 in 2019 (+4.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,001 to 4,491.

### Does Olmsted County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Olmsted 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/olmsted-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/).