Boone County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Albion
Boone 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. Boone County is home to Albion and St. Edward. Its power plants have 120 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 2,439 jobs in 2025, up 2.4% from 2019. Loup River Public Power Dist is the largest utility serving Boone County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 10.59¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Boone County
Boone County is home to Albion and St. Edward.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Loretto, Raeville.
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 Boone County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,361 | 5,355 | ▼ 0.1% | 52nd of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,382 | 2,439 | ▲ 2.4% | 32nd of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,366 | $53,262 | ▲ 35.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
5,355 people live here, down 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Boone County
Utilities with service territory in Boone County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loup River Public Power Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 16,292 | 10.59¢ | 20% |
| Cornhusker Public Power Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 7,385 | 10.84¢ | 20% |
| Elkhorn Rural Public Pwr Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 6,146 | 9.41¢ | 11% |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 98% |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 120 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo Ridge Wind LLC | NRG Energy Gas & Wind Holdings Inc | Wind | 80 MW | 2011 |
| TPW Petersburg | TPW Petersburg LLC | Wind | 40 MW | 2011 |
The Boone County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,439 | $53,262 | 1.00 |
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 Boone County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Boone County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Nance County.
Boone County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Boone County, Antelope 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 5,355 | ▲ 2.4% | 120 MW | — | — | — |
| Antelope County | 6,352 | ▲ 0.2% | 818 MW | — | — | — |
| Greeley County | 2,154 | ▲ 2.1% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Madison County | 36,106 | ▼ 0.6% | 18 MW | — | — | — |
| Nance County | 3,290 | ▼ 8.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Platte County | 35,649 | ▲ 3.7% | 138 MW | — | — | — |
| Wheeler County | 789 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Boone County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Boone County, Nebraska?
4 utilities have service territory in Boone County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Loup River Public Power Dist, Cornhusker Public Power Dist, Elkhorn Rural Public Pwr Dist, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Loup River Public Power Dist, charged residential customers 10.59¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Boone County?
2 operating plants with 120 MW of capacity. The largest is Laredo Ridge Wind LLC (80 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Boone County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Boone County.
Is Boone County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,439 jobs in 2025 against 2,382 in 2019 (+2.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Boone County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Boone County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.