Roseau County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Roseau, Lake Township and Warroad
Roseau 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. Roseau County is home to Roseau, Lake Township, Warroad and Moranville Township. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 4 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Owners plan to retire 2 MW more by 2035, led by Warroad Factory in 2030. Its power plants have 11 MW of capacity, 67% of it petroleum.
Cities and towns in Roseau County
Roseau County is home to Roseau, Lake Township, Warroad and Moranville Township.
And 10 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 Roseau County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 15,298 | 15,246 | ▼ 0.3% | 56th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,826 | 7,687 | ▼ 1.8% | 51st of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $48,196 | $62,984 | ▲ 30.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 74 | 86 | ▲ 16.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.9% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 7,687 jobs in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019. Otter Tail Power Co is the largest utility serving Roseau County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.33¢/kWh in 2024, below the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 15,246 people live here, down 0.3% since 2020.
Who powers Roseau County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +4 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Roseau County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 50,118 | 11.33¢ | 37% |
| North Star Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Roseau Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Roseau - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Warroad | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 7 MW | 67% |
| Battery storage | 2 MW | 18% |
| Natural gas | 2 MW | 15% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warroad Factory | Marvin | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1983 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warroad Factory | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2030 |
The Roseau County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,687 | $62,984 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 86 | $46,274 | 0.21 |
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 Roseau County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Roseau County. Minnesota has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Roseau County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Roseau County, Beltrami 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseau County | 15,246 | ▼ 1.8% | 11 MW | — | — | — |
| Beltrami County | 47,055 | ▲ 2.5% | 51 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Kittson County | 4,031 | ▼ 1.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Lake of the Woods County | 3,770 | ▼ 11.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Marshall County | 8,798 | ▲ 8.7% | — | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Roseau County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Roseau County, Minnesota?
5 utilities have service territory in Roseau County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Otter Tail Power Co, North Star Electric Coop, Inc, Roseau Electric Coop, Inc, City of Roseau - (MN). The largest, Otter Tail Power Co, charged residential customers 11.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Roseau County?
1 operating plant with 11 MW of capacity. The largest is Warroad Factory (11 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Roseau County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Roseau County.
Is Roseau County adding jobs?
Employers counted 7,687 jobs in 2025 against 7,826 in 2019 (-1.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 74 to 86.
Does Roseau County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Roseau County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.