Divide County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Crosby
Divide 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. Divide County is home to Crosby. Next door, Williams County has 1 data center and 1,518 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 680 jobs in 2025, down 12.7% from 2019. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Divide County, one of 4 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 1.9% in August 2026, against 1.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Divide County
Divide County is home to Crosby.
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 Divide County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,202 | 2,110 | ▼ 4.2% | 45th of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 779 | 680 | ▼ 12.7% | 50th of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $53,064 | $59,929 | ▲ 12.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.7% | 1.9% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
2,110 people live here, down 4.2% since 2020.
Who powers Divide County
Utilities with service territory in Divide 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% |
| Sheridan Electric Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Divide County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Divide County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 680 | $59,929 | 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 Divide County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Divide County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Divide County and its neighbors
Of the 3 counties that border Divide 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divide County | 2,110 | ▼ 12.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Burke County | 2,132 | ▼ 7.6% | 199 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Sheridan County MT | 3,436 | ▼ 0.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Williams County | 41,767 | ▼ 10.4% | 1,346 MW | 1,518 MW | 1 | — |
More of North Dakota
Divide County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Divide County, North Dakota?
4 utilities have service territory in Divide County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Mountrail-Williams Elec Coop, Burke-Divide Electric Coop Inc, Sheridan Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Divide County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Divide County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Williams County.
Is Divide County adding jobs?
Employers counted 680 jobs in 2025 against 779 in 2019 (-12.7%, BLS QCEW).
Does Divide County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Divide County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.