Saline County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Crete and Wilber
Saline 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. Saline County is home to Crete, Wilber, Friend and Dorchester. Next door, Lancaster County has 3 data centers and 852 MW of planned generation. 302 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Employers here counted 6,630 jobs in 2025, down 5.4% from 2019. Its power plants have 311 MW of capacity, 96% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Saline County
Saline County is home to Crete, Wilber, Friend and Dorchester.
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 Saline County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 14,716 | 14,996 | ▲ 1.9% | 20th of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,009 | 6,630 | ▼ 5.4% | 77th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,433 | $56,884 | ▲ 31.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.0% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 302 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Norris Public Power District is the largest utility serving Saline County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 9.61¢/kWh in 2024, below the 10.86¢ median for Nebraska utilities. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 14,996 people live here, up 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers Saline County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +302 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Saline County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norris Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 18,387 | 9.61¢ | 14% |
| City of Crete | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Dorchester - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Wilber | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 300 MW | 96% |
| Natural gas | 6 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milligan 1 Wind Farm | Milligan 1 Wind, LLC | Wind | 300 MW | 2020 |
| Crete | City of Crete - (NE) | Natural gas | 6 MW | 1973 |
| Wilber | City of Wilber - (NE) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1960 |
| Crete Solar | SE Municipal Nebraska, LLC | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
The Saline County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,630 | $56,884 | 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 Saline County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Saline County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 4 neighboring counties have one: Fillmore County, Gage County, Lancaster County, Seward County.
Saline County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Saline County, Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County | 14,996 | ▼ 5.4% | 311 MW | — | — | — |
| Fillmore County | 5,458 | ▲ 8.8% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Gage County | 21,711 | ▼ 2.2% | 247 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Jefferson County | 7,070 | ▲ 4.0% | 79 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Lancaster County | 334,049 | ▲ 2.3% | 811 MW | 852 MW | 3 | 1 |
| Seward County | 18,032 | ▼ 1.3% | 3 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Thayer County | 4,842 | ▼ 3.5% | 59 MW | — | — | — |
| York County | 14,564 | ▲ 0.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Saline County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Saline County, Nebraska?
4 utilities have service territory in Saline County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Norris Public Power District, City of Crete, Village of Dorchester - (NE), City of Wilber. The largest, Norris Public Power District, charged residential customers 9.61¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Saline County?
4 operating plants with 311 MW of capacity. The largest is Milligan 1 Wind Farm (300 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Saline County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Saline County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lancaster County.
Is Saline County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,630 jobs in 2025 against 7,009 in 2019 (-5.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Saline County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Saline County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.