Cherry County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Valentine
Cherry County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Cherry County is home to Valentine. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Six-month conditional-use-permit moratorium”. Construction employs 128, down 5.2% since 2019. Its power plants have 2 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Unemployment was 1.8% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Cherry County
Cherry County is home to Valentine.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Brownlee.
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 Cherry County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,457 | 5,561 | ▲ 1.9% | 50th of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,289 | 2,263 | ▼ 1.1% | 56th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,792 | $44,526 | ▲ 40.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 135 | 128 | ▼ 5.2% | 33rd of 35 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 1.8% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Nebraska Public Power District is the largest utility serving Cherry County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 10.63¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 2,263 jobs in 2025, down 1.1% from 2019. 5,561 people live here, up 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers Cherry County
Utilities with service territory in Cherry County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 73,650 | 10.63¢ | 28% |
| Custer Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 4,707 | 12.71¢ | 22% |
| Cherry-Todd Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| KBR Rural Public Power District | — | — | — | — | — |
| LaCreek Electric Assn, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Northwest Rural Pub Pwr Dist | — | — | — | — | — |
| Panhandle Rural El Member Assn | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Valentine - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 2 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valentine Wind, LLC | Valentine Wind, LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2014 |
The Cherry County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,263 | $44,526 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 128 | $50,825 | 1.07 |
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 Cherry County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six-month conditional-use-permit moratorium | In force | 2026 |
Cherry County and its neighbors
Of the 11 counties that border Cherry County, Brown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry County | 5,561 | ▼ 1.1% | 2 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Bennett County SD | 3,307 | ▲ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Blaine County | 458 | ▲ 7.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Brown County | 2,826 | ▲ 13.2% | 59 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 561 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Hooker County | 686 | ▼ 24.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Keya Paha County | 792 | ▲ 2.9% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Oglala Lakota County SD | 13,338 | ▲ 3.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Sheridan County | 4,809 | ▲ 2.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Thomas County | 639 | ▼ 8.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Todd County SD | 8,863 | ▼ 4.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Tripp County SD | 5,708 | ▲ 3.4% | — | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Cherry County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Cherry County, Nebraska?
8 utilities have service territory in Cherry County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Nebraska Public Power District, Custer Public Power District, Cherry-Todd Electric Coop, Inc, KBR Rural Public Power District. The largest, Nebraska Public Power District, charged residential customers 10.63¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Cherry County?
1 operating plant with 2 MW of capacity. The largest is Valentine Wind, LLC (2 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Cherry County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Cherry County.
Is Cherry County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,263 jobs in 2025 against 2,289 in 2019 (-1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 135 to 128.
Does Cherry County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Cherry County, 1 in force.