Sherburne County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Elk River, Big Lake and Big Lake Township
Sherburne County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Sherburne County. Owners plan to retire 1,704 MW more by 2035, led by Sherburne County in 2030. Sherburne County is home to Elk River, Big Lake, Big Lake Township and part of St. Cloud (7,842 of its 72,647 residents). 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Elk River Proposed Data Center. 611 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (battery storage), the largest pipeline among Minnesota's counties. 601 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Sherburne County
Sherburne County is home to Elk River, Big Lake, Big Lake Township and part of St. Cloud (7,842 of its 72,647 residents).
- St. Cloud also extends into Stearns County, Benton County.
- Princeton also extends into Mille Lacs County.
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 Sherburne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 97,588 | 104,194 | ▲ 6.8% | 12th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 26,357 | 28,584 | ▲ 8.4% | 9th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,668 | $59,716 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,169 | 2,396 | ▲ 10.5% | 36th of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 4.8% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 737 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 826 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 611 MW | 23% of today's fleet | 1st of 15 by size |
826 MW has retired here since 2019, including Sherburne County (coal, 765 MW, 2023). Its power plants have 2,670 MW of capacity, 64% of it coal, the largest fleet in Minnesota. Construction employs 2,396, up 10.5% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 737 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 4.8% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Employers here counted 28,584 jobs in 2025, up 8.4% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 87 Minnesota counties). Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Sherburne 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. 104,194 people live here, up 6.8% since 2020.
Who powers Sherburne County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −88 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Sherburne 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% |
| Connexus Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 134,095 | 13.66¢ | 30% |
| East Central Energy | Cooperative | Bundled | 55,250 | 16.89¢ | 29% |
| Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 53,714 | 14.59¢ | 30% |
| City of Elk River | Municipal | Bundled | 11,776 | 15.83¢ | 9% |
| Princeton Public Utils Comm | — | — | — | — | — |
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 33
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,704 MW | 64% |
| Solar | 775 MW | 29% |
| Natural gas | 191 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne County | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Coal | 1,704 MW | 1976 |
| Sherco Solar III | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Solar | 250 MW | 2026 |
| Sherco Solar II | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Solar | 237 MW | 2025 |
| Sherco Solar I | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Solar | 223 MW | 2024 |
| Elk River | Great River Energy | Natural gas | 191 MW | 2009 |
| Big Lake Holdco Solar CSG | Big Lake Holdco LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2017 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherco BESS | Batteries | 300 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| Sherco BESS | Batteries | 300 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| Sherco LDES | Batteries | 10 MW | Approvals received | 2028 | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota |
| Fuller Garden | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Bullrock-NxtGenREA |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne County | Coal | 765 MW | 2023 |
| Elk River | Other technologies | 48 MW | 2019 |
| Elk River City of | Petroleum | 9 MW | 2024 |
| Elk River City of | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2022 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne County | Coal | 939 MW | 2030 |
| Sherburne County | Coal | 765 MW | 2026 |
The Sherburne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 28,584 | $59,716 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,396 | $75,281 | 1.58 |
| Data processing and hosting | 7 | $113,140 | 0.08 |
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 Sherburne County
2 data centers in Sherburne County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk River Proposed Data Center | planning commission recommended denial | — |
Sherburne County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Sherburne County, Hennepin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherburne County | 104,194 | ▲ 8.4% | 2,670 MW | 611 MW | 2 | — |
| Anoka County | 381,605 | ▲ 4.3% | 17 MW | — | 2 | — |
| Benton County | 41,744 | ▼ 1.9% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Hennepin County | 1,284,784 | ▼ 1.9% | 696 MW | — | 48 | — |
| Isanti County | 44,386 | ▲ 0.1% | 215 MW | 1 MW | — | — |
| Mille Lacs County | 27,753 | ▼ 2.4% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Stearns County | 164,110 | ● 0.0% | 192 MW | 6 MW | 1 | — |
| Wright County | 157,559 | ▲ 9.4% | 806 MW | — | — | 2 |
More of Minnesota
Sherburne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sherburne County, Minnesota?
6 utilities have service territory in Sherburne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Connexus Energy, East Central Energy, Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn. The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Elk River, MN in?
Elk River is in Sherburne County, Minnesota. About 27,896 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Big Lake, MN in?
Big Lake is in Sherburne County, Minnesota. About 12,929 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sherburne County?
33 operating plants with 2,670 MW of capacity. The largest is Sherburne County (1,704 MW, coal).
How much new power is planned in Sherburne County?
611 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 601 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Are there data centers in Sherburne County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Sherburne County.
Is Sherburne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 28,584 jobs in 2025 against 26,357 in 2019 (+8.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,169 to 2,396.
Does Sherburne County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Sherburne County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.