Winona County, Minnesota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Winona, Goodview and St. Charles
Winona County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Winona County. Winona County is home to Winona, Goodview, St. Charles and Lewiston. Construction employs 680, up 11.5% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 17 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Winona County
Winona County is home to Winona, Goodview, St. Charles and Lewiston.
And 7 smaller places.
- La Crescent also extends into Houston County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Dresbach, Homer, Pickwick.
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 Winona County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 49,656 | 50,523 | ▲ 1.7% | 19th of 87 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,486 | 23,933 | ▼ 2.3% | 57th of 87 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,390 | $54,330 | ▲ 25.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 610 | 680 | ▲ 11.5% | 31st of 72 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.0% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 17 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 32 MW of capacity, 52% of it solar. Employers here counted 23,933 jobs in 2025, down 2.3% from 2019. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota is the largest utility serving Winona County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.98¢/kWh in 2024, above the 14.36¢ median for Minnesota utilities. 50,523 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Winona County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +17 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Winona 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% |
| People's Cooperative Services | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,665 | 16.70¢ | 22% |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,224 | 16.56¢ | 23% |
| City of St Charles - (MN) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 14
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 17 MW | 52% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 28% |
| Wind | 6 MW | 20% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles Power Plant | City of St Charles - (MN) | Petroleum | 9 MW | 2004 |
| GL Wind | GL Wind LLC | Wind | 5 MW | 2011 |
| Rollingstone Holdco CSG | Rollingstone Holdco LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2019 |
| St. Charles Solar | Green Street Power Partners | Solar | 2 MW | 2019 |
| Stockton (MN) | Altus Power America Management, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2021 |
| Winona County Wind LLC | Winona County Wind LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2011 |
The Winona County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,933 | $54,330 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 680 | $64,856 | 0.54 |
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 Winona County
1 data center in Winona County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Winona County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Winona County, Olmsted 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winona County | 50,523 | ▼ 2.3% | 32 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Buffalo County WI | 13,318 | ▼ 10.1% | 390 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
| Fillmore County | 21,540 | ▲ 1.0% | 65 MW | — | — | — |
| Houston County | 18,400 | ▼ 1.2% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| La Crosse County WI | 121,339 | ▲ 0.9% | 192 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Olmsted County | 166,731 | ▲ 4.5% | 231 MW | 33 MW | 5 | — |
| Trempealeau County WI | 31,171 | ▼ 10.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Wabasha County | 21,537 | ▼ 4.1% | 16 MW | — | — | — |
More of Minnesota
Winona County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Winona County, Minnesota?
4 utilities have service territory in Winona County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, People's Cooperative Services, MiEnergy Cooperative, City of St Charles - (MN). The largest, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, charged residential customers 16.98¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Winona, MN in?
Winona is in Winona County, Minnesota. About 26,530 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Winona County?
14 operating plants with 32 MW of capacity. The largest is St. Charles Power Plant (9 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Winona County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Winona County.
Is Winona County adding jobs?
Employers counted 23,933 jobs in 2025 against 24,486 in 2019 (-2.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 610 to 680.
Does Winona County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Winona County. Minnesota has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.