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

Home to Fergus Falls, Perham and Pelican Rapids

No data center or power plant project is on record in Otter Tail County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Otter Tail County is home to Fergus Falls, Perham, Pelican Rapids and Aurdal Township. Next door, Clay County has 1 data center. 132 MW has retired here since 2019, including Hoot Lake (coal, 129 MW, 2021). Construction employs 1,258, up 4.0% since 2019. 50 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.

132 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

53 MW
of operating power plants, mostly solar

-1.1%
total jobs since 2019, now 22,581

## Cities and towns in Otter Tail County

Otter Tail County is home to Fergus Falls, Perham, Pelican Rapids and Aurdal Township.

Fergus Falls14,246 residents
Perham3,746 residents
Pelican Rapids2,608 residents
Aurdal Township1,564 residents
New York Mills1,481 residents
Rush Lake Township1,073 residents
Perham Township1,062 residents
Parkers Prairie1,031 residents
Dunn Township931 residents
Battle Lake930 residents
Dane Prairie Township893 residents
Edna Township892 residents
Henning859 residents
Elizabeth Township841 residents
Compton Township812 residents
Hobart Township804 residents
Friberg Township803 residents
Lida Township781 residents
Pine Lake Township771 residents
Fergus Falls Township769 residents
Newton Township755 residents
Everts Township754 residents
Ottertail734 residents
Girard Township708 residents

And 16 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 Otter Tail County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 60,098 | 61,041 | ▲ 1.6% | 17th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 22,824 | 22,581 | ▼ 1.1% | 45th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,728 | $54,321 | ▲ 33.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,210 | 1,258 | ▲ 4.0% | 43rd of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 4.8% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 50 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 132 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 53 MW of capacity, 94% of it solar. ALLETE, Inc. is the largest utility serving Otter Tail County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.66¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. Employers here counted 22,581 jobs in 2025, down 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.8% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. 61,041 people live here, up 1.6% since 2020.

## Who powers Otter Tail County

### Utilities with service territory in Otter Tail County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALLETE, Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 125,896 | 15.66¢ | 14% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 50,118 | 11.33¢ | 37% |
| Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN) | Cooperative | Bundled | 27,239 | 13.28¢ | 26% |
| Runestone Electric Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,282 | 14.36¢ | 10% |
| City of Henning - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Wadena - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 100% |
| Todd-Wadena Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 50 MW | 94% |
| Wind | 2 MW | 4% |
| Hydro | 1 MW | 2% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoot Lake Solar | Otter Tail Power Co | Solar | 50 MW | 2023 |
| Lake Region Community Hybrid, LLC | Lake Region Community Hybrid, LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2018 |
| Hoot Lake | Otter Tail Power Co | Hydro | 1 MW | 1914 |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoot Lake | Coal | 129 MW | 2021 |
| Fergus Control Ctr | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2019 |
| Hoot Lake | Petroleum | 0 MW | 2021 |

## The Otter Tail County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 22,581 | $54,321 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,258 | $63,933 | 1.05 |

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 Otter Tail County

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

## Otter Tail County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Otter Tail County, Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County | 61,041 | ▼ 1.1% | 53 MW | — | — | — |
| Becker County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/becker-county) | 35,497 | ▲ 4.9% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Clay County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/clay-county) | 67,734 | ▲ 1.0% | 78 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Douglas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/douglas-county) | 40,120 | ▲ 1.9% | 17 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Grant County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/grant-county) | 6,085 | ● 0.0% | 21 MW | — | — | — |
| Todd County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/todd-county) | 26,060 | ▲ 9.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Wadena County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wadena-county) | 14,388 | ▼ 2.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Wilkin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wilkin-county) | 6,288 | ▼ 8.2% | — | 1 MW | — | — |

## More of Minnesota

[All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Clay County67,734 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/clay-county)[Douglas County40,120 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/douglas-county)[Becker County35,497 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/becker-county)[Todd County26,060 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/todd-county)[Wadena County14,388 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/wadena-county)

## Otter Tail County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Otter Tail County, Minnesota?

8 utilities have service territory in Otter Tail County in the EIA-861 2024 report: ALLETE, Inc., Otter Tail Power Co, Lake Region Electric Cooperative - (MN), Runestone Electric Assn. The largest, ALLETE, Inc., charged residential customers 15.66¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Fergus Falls, MN in?

Fergus Falls is in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. About 14,246 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Otter Tail County?

3 operating plants with 53 MW of capacity. The largest is Hoot Lake Solar (50 MW, solar).

### Are there data centers in Otter Tail County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Otter Tail County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Clay County.

### Is Otter Tail County adding jobs?

Employers counted 22,581 jobs in 2025 against 22,824 in 2019 (-1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,210 to 1,258.

### Does Otter Tail County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Otter Tail 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/otter-tail-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/).