# Dickey County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Oakes and Ellendale Dickey County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. Construction employs 743, up 1386.0% since 2019, and construction is 5.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Employers here counted 2,496 jobs in 2025, up 38.7% from 2019 (the 2nd fastest growth of 53 North Dakota counties). The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 10 data centers in Dickey County, 38% of North Dakota's total. Dickey County is home to Oakes and Ellendale. 150 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. +38.7% total jobs since 2019, now 2,496 10 data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map, 38% of North Dakota's 5.6× the U.S. share of jobs in construction ## Cities and towns in Dickey County Dickey County is home to Oakes and Ellendale. Oakes1,765 residents Ellendale1,129 residents Kentner Township229 residents Bear Creek Township196 residents Ellendale Township129 residents Clement Township126 residents Riverdale Township99 residents Divide Township82 residents Hudson Township76 residents Van Meter Township74 residents Elm Township68 residents Elden Township67 residents Fullerton56 residents Lovell Township51 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 Dickey County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 4,972 | 4,895 | ▼ 1.5% | 24th of 53 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,799 | 2,496 | ▲ 38.7% | 2nd of 53 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,151 | $67,740 | ▲ 77.6% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 50 | 743 | ▲ 1386.0% | 1st of 20 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.6% | 1.0% | ▼ 0.6pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 150 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Its power plants have 330 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind, the 9th largest fleet in North Dakota. Unemployment was 1.0% in August 2026, against 1.6% in 2019. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Dickey County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.72¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.38¢ median for North Dakota utilities. 4,895 people live here, down 1.5% since 2020. ## Who powers Dickey County ### Utilities with service territory in Dickey 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% | | Cass County Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 51,968 | 12.45¢ | 35% | | Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 45,467 | 11.38¢ | 77% | | Dakota Valley Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,721 | 12.01¢ | 1% | | Northern Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — | | WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | Bundled | — | — | 97% | 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 | 330 MW | 100% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Tatanka Wind Power LLC | Acciona Wind Energy USA LLC | Wind | 180 MW | 2008 | | Foxtail Wind, LLC | Foxtail Wind, LLC | Wind | 150 MW | 2020 | ## The Dickey County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 2,496 | $67,740 | 1.00 | | Construction | 743 | $110,983 | 5.62 | 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 Dickey County 10 data centers in Dickey County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map. ## Dickey County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Dickey 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Dickey County | 4,895 | ▲ 38.7% | 330 MW | — | 10 | — | | Brown County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/brown-county) SD | 37,561 | ▼ 4.0% | 327 MW | 32 MW | — | — | | LaMoure County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/lamoure-county) | 4,135 | ▲ 4.9% | 62 MW | — | — | — | | McIntosh County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/mcintosh-county) | 2,451 | ▼ 3.2% | 400 MW | — | — | — | | McPherson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/mcpherson-county) SD | 2,347 | ▼ 2.5% | — | — | — | — | | Ransom County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/ransom-county) | 5,617 | ▼ 2.5% | 10 MW | — | — | — | | Sargent County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/sargent-county) | 3,711 | ▼ 27.9% | — | — | — | — | ## More of North Dakota [All North Dakota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota)[Ransom County5,617 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/ransom-county)[LaMoure County4,135 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/lamoure-county)[Sargent County3,711 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/sargent-county)[McIntosh County2,451 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/mcintosh-county) ## Dickey County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Dickey County, North Dakota? 6 utilities have service territory in Dickey County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Cass County Elec Coop Inc, Otter Tail Power Co, Dakota Valley Elec Coop Inc. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Dickey County? 2 operating plants with 330 MW of capacity. The largest is Tatanka Wind Power LLC (180 MW, wind). ### Are there data centers in Dickey County? Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 10 data centers in Dickey County. ### Is Dickey County adding jobs? Employers counted 2,496 jobs in 2025 against 1,799 in 2019 (+38.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 50 to 743. ### Does Dickey County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Dickey County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/dickey-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/).