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

Home to Pine City, Pokegama Township and Sandstone

Local rules on data centers are on the record in Pine County. Pine County is home to Pine City, Pokegama Township, Sandstone and Hinckley. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Interim ordinance imposing a 12-month data center moratorium”. Construction employs 457, down 16.5% since 2019. 3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 7,906 jobs in 2025, down 5.0% from 2019.

-5.0%
total jobs since 2019, now 7,906

28 MW
of operating power plants, mostly petroleum

16.98¢
per kWh for Northern States Power Co - Minnesota residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Pine County

Pine County is home to Pine City, Pokegama Township, Sandstone and Hinckley.

Pine City3,820 residents
Pokegama Township2,884 residents
Sandstone2,543 residents
Hinckley1,992 residents
Rock Creek1,772 residents
Windemere Township1,667 residents
Pine City Township1,399 residents
Royalton Township1,086 residents
Chengwatana Township950 residents
Sandstone Township828 residents
Dell Grove Township795 residents
Hinckley Township759 residents
Pine Lake Township604 residents
Partridge Township594 residents
Barry Township567 residents
Sturgeon Lake Township556 residents
Mission Creek Township539 residents
Brook Park Township523 residents
Kettle River Township493 residents
Finlayson Township472 residents
Sturgeon Lake464 residents
Willow River400 residents
Munch Township386 residents
Clover Township366 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 Pine County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,886 | 30,472 | ▲ 5.5% | 36th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,325 | 7,906 | ▼ 5.0% | 71st of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,769 | $46,335 | ▲ 37.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 547 | 457 | ▼ 16.5% | 69th of 72 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7 | 7 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.2% | 6.6% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 28 MW of capacity, 89% of it petroleum. Electrical contractors employ 7, unchanged since 2019 against up 13.6% statewide, at an average $68,291 a year. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Pine County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.98¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. Unemployment was 6.6% in August 2026, against 6.2% in 2019. 30,472 people live here, up 5.5% since 2020.

## Who powers Pine County

### Utilities with service territory in Pine 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% |
| ALLETE, Inc. | Investor Owned | Bundled | 125,896 | 15.66¢ | 14% |
| East Central Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 55,250 | 16.89¢ | 29% |
| Lake Country Power | Cooperative | Bundled | 47,204 | 17.90¢ | 17% |
| Northwestern Wisconsin Elec Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 88 | 14.45¢ | 26% |

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 |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 25 MW | 89% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 11% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Lake CT | Great River Energy | Petroleum | 25 MW | 1978 |
| Grand Casino Hinckley Solar | DG Central 1, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2022 |

## The Pine County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,906 | $46,335 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 457 | $62,432 | 1.09 |
| Electrical contractors | 7 | $68,291 | 0.12 |

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 Pine County

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Interim ordinance imposing a 12-month data center moratorium | In force | 2026-08 |

## Pine County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Pine County, Chisago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine County | 30,472 | ▼ 5.0% | 28 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Aitkin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/aitkin-county) | 16,252 | ▲ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Burnett County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/burnett-county) WI | 17,223 | ▲ 12.8% | 11 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Carlton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/carlton-county) | 36,711 | ▼ 0.5% | 182 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Chisago County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chisago-county) | 59,142 | ▲ 4.2% | 191 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
| Douglas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/douglas-county) WI | 43,990 | ▼ 0.7% | 15 MW | — | — | — |
| Isanti County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/isanti-county) | 44,386 | ▲ 0.1% | 215 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Kanabec County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/kanabec-county) | 16,628 | ▲ 6.8% | 15 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Minnesota

[All Minnesota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota)[Chisago County59,142 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/chisago-county)[Isanti County44,386 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/isanti-county)[Carlton County36,711 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/carlton-county)[Kanabec County16,628 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/kanabec-county)[Aitkin County16,252 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/aitkin-county)

## Pine County, answered from the record

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

5 utilities have service territory in Pine County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, ALLETE, Inc., East Central Energy, Lake Country Power. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Pine County?

2 operating plants with 28 MW of capacity. The largest is Rock Lake CT (25 MW, petroleum).

### Are there data centers in Pine County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pine County.

### Is Pine County adding jobs?

Employers counted 7,906 jobs in 2025 against 8,325 in 2019 (-5.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 547 to 457.

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

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Pine County, 1 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/minnesota/pine-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/).