Burke County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Larson
Burke 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. Burke County is home to Powers Lake, Bowbells and Lignite. 100 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Northern Divide Energy Storage, LLC (battery storage), the 5th largest pipeline among North Dakota's counties. 100 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Williams County has 1 data center and 1,518 MW of planned generation. 199 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Employers here counted 653 jobs in 2025, down 7.6% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Burke County
Burke County is home to Powers Lake, Bowbells and Lignite.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Larson.
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 Burke County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,191 | 2,132 | ▼ 2.7% | 44th of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 707 | 653 | ▼ 7.6% | 44th of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $56,517 | $71,942 | ▲ 27.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.0% | 1.8% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 199 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 100 MW | 50% of today's fleet | 5th of 5 by size |
Its power plants have 199 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Burke County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.72¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.38¢ median for North Dakota utilities. Unemployment was 1.8% in August 2026, against 2.0% in 2019. 2,132 people live here, down 2.7% since 2020.
Who powers Burke County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +199 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Burke County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 79,354 | 11.72¢ | 67% |
| Mountrail-Williams Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,405 | 7.24¢ | 26% |
| Burke-Divide Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 1,789 | 7.88¢ | 7% |
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 | 199 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke Wind, LLC | Burke Wind LLC | Wind | 199 MW | 2020 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Divide Energy Storage | Batteries | 100 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Northern Divide Energy Storage, LLC |
The Burke County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 653 | $71,942 | 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 Burke County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Burke County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Burke County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Burke County, Williams 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County | 2,132 | ▼ 7.6% | 199 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Divide County | 2,110 | ▼ 12.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Mountrail County | 9,395 | ▼ 14.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Renville County | 2,331 | ▼ 7.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Ward County | 68,233 | ▼ 1.8% | 120 MW | — | — | — |
| Williams County | 41,767 | ▼ 10.4% | 1,346 MW | 1,518 MW | 1 | — |
More of North Dakota
Burke County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Burke County, North Dakota?
3 utilities have service territory in Burke County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Mountrail-Williams Elec Coop, Burke-Divide Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Burke County?
1 operating plant with 199 MW of capacity. The largest is Burke Wind, LLC (199 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Burke County?
100 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 100 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Northern Divide Energy Storage, LLC.
Are there data centers in Burke County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Burke County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Williams County.
Is Burke County adding jobs?
Employers counted 653 jobs in 2025 against 707 in 2019 (-7.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Burke County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Burke County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.