Stillwater County, Montana: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Columbus
Stillwater 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. Stillwater County is home to Columbus. Construction employs 146, up 24.8% since 2019. Employers here counted 2,931 jobs in 2025, down 16.6% from 2019. Next door, Yellowstone County has 7 data centers. 248 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind.
Cities and towns in Stillwater County
Stillwater County is home to Columbus.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Absarokee, Fishtail, Nye, Park City, Rapelje, Reed Point.
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 Stillwater County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Montana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,998 | 9,445 | ▲ 5.0% | 25th of 56 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,515 | 2,931 | ▼ 16.6% | 55th of 56 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $65,718 | $69,484 | ▲ 5.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 117 | 146 | ▲ 24.8% | 15th of 25 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 2.8% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 248 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.8% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. Its power plants have 342 MW of capacity, 96% of it wind, the 8th largest fleet in Montana. NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) is the largest utility serving Stillwater County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.23¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.95¢ median for Montana utilities. 9,445 people live here, up 5.0% since 2020.
Who powers Stillwater County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +248 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Stillwater County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 328,127 | 14.23¢ | 49% |
| Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,182 | 13.35¢ | 24% |
| Fergus Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 6,682 | 15.52¢ | 74% |
| Beartooth Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 328 MW | 96% |
| Hydro | 12 MW | 4% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek Wind Facility | Puget Sound Energy Inc | Wind | 248 MW | 2025 |
| Stillwater Wind, LLC | Pattern Operators LP | Wind | 80 MW | 2018 |
| Mystic | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Hydro | 12 MW | 1925 |
| River Bend Solar, LLC (MT) | Adapture Renewables, Inc. | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
The Stillwater County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,931 | $69,484 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 146 | $56,649 | 0.94 |
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 Stillwater County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Stillwater County. Montana has 5 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Yellowstone County.
Stillwater County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Stillwater County, Yellowstone 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater County | 9,445 | ▼ 16.6% | 342 MW | — | — | — |
| Carbon County | 11,466 | ▲ 14.3% | 242 MW | — | — | — |
| Golden Valley County | 844 | ▲ 22.6% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Park County | 18,214 | ▲ 18.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Sweet Grass County | 3,762 | ▼ 2.1% | 25 MW | — | — | — |
| Yellowstone County | 172,692 | ▲ 6.7% | 360 MW | 50 MW | 7 | 1 |
More of Montana
Stillwater County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Stillwater County, Montana?
4 utilities have service territory in Stillwater County in the EIA-861 2024 report: NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT), Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op, Fergus Electric Coop, Inc, Beartooth Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT), charged residential customers 14.23¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Stillwater County?
4 operating plants with 342 MW of capacity. The largest is Beaver Creek Wind Facility (248 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Stillwater County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Stillwater County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Yellowstone County.
Is Stillwater County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,931 jobs in 2025 against 3,515 in 2019 (-16.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 117 to 146.
Does Stillwater County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Stillwater County. Montana has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.