# Polk County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Stromsburg

Polk 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. Polk County is home to Stromsburg, Osceola and Shelby. 1 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 1,418 jobs in 2025, down 3.7% from 2019. Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 71% of it wind. Polk County Rural Pub Pwr Dist is the largest utility serving Polk County, one of 3 with territory here.

-3.7%
total jobs since 2019, now 1,418

4 MW
of operating power plants, mostly wind

5,270
residents, 2025

## Cities and towns in Polk County

Polk County is home to Stromsburg, Osceola and Shelby.

Stromsburg1,159 residents
Osceola883 residents
Shelby739 residents
Polk341 residents

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 Polk County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,214 | 5,270 | ▲ 1.1% | 53rd of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,473 | 1,418 | ▼ 3.7% | 74th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,714 | $49,490 | ▲ 34.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 2.6% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Unemployment was 2.6% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. 5,270 people live here, up 1.1% since 2020.

## Who powers Polk County

### Utilities with service territory in Polk County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County Rural Pub Pwr Dist | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Polk - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Stromsburg - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 2 MW | 71% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 29% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County Renewables, LLC | Polk County Renewables, LLC | Wind | 2 MW | 2018 |
| Stromsburg-Polk County | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2023 |

## The Polk County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,418 | $49,490 | 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 Polk County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Polk County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: [Butler County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/butler-county), [Seward County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/seward-county).

## Polk County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Polk County, Platte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 5,270 | ▼ 3.7% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Butler County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/butler-county) | 8,507 | ▲ 2.8% | 11 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Hamilton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/hamilton-county) | 9,678 | ▲ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Merrick County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/merrick-county) | 7,905 | ▲ 3.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Platte County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/platte-county) | 35,649 | ▲ 3.7% | 138 MW | — | — | — |
| Seward County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/seward-county) | 18,032 | ▼ 1.3% | 3 MW | — | — | 1 |
| York County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/york-county) | 14,564 | ▲ 0.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Nebraska

[All Nebraska countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska)[Platte County35,649 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/platte-county)[Seward County18,032 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/seward-county)[York County14,564 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/york-county)[Hamilton County9,678 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/hamilton-county)[Butler County8,507 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/butler-county)

## Polk County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Polk County, Nebraska?

3 utilities have service territory in Polk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Polk County Rural Pub Pwr Dist, Village of Polk - (NE), City of Stromsburg - (NE).

### What power plants are in Polk County?

2 operating plants with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is Polk County Renewables, LLC (2 MW, wind).

### Are there data centers in Polk County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Polk County.

### Is Polk County adding jobs?

Employers counted 1,418 jobs in 2025 against 1,473 in 2019 (-3.7%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Polk County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Polk County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/polk-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).