Mountrail County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to New Town and Stanley
No data center or power plant project is on record in Mountrail County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Mountrail County is home to New Town, Stanley and Parshall. Employers here counted 5,391 jobs in 2025, down 14.4% from 2019. Next door, Williams County has 1 data center and 1,518 MW of planned generation. Electrical contractors employ 120, at an average $82,788 a year. Unemployment was 2.4% in August 2026, against 1.9% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Mountrail County
Mountrail County is home to New Town, Stanley and Parshall.
And 2 smaller places.
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 Mountrail County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,808 | 9,395 | ▼ 4.2% | 16th of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,301 | 5,391 | ▼ 14.4% | 51st of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $69,339 | $78,674 | ▲ 13.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.9% | 2.4% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Mountrail 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. 9,395 people live here, down 4.2% since 2020.
Who powers Mountrail County
Utilities with service territory in Mountrail 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% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 45,467 | 11.38¢ | 77% |
| Verendrye Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,336 | 10.70¢ | 24% |
| Mountrail-Williams Elec Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,405 | 7.24¢ | 26% |
| McLean Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,711 | 14.25¢ | 23% |
| 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.
No operating power plant is located in Mountrail County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Mountrail County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,391 | $78,674 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 120 | $82,788 | 3.09 |
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 Mountrail County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Mountrail County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Mountrail County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Mountrail 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountrail County | 9,395 | ▼ 14.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Burke County | 2,132 | ▼ 7.6% | 199 MW | 100 MW | — | — |
| Dunn County | 4,058 | ▼ 7.4% | — | — | — | — |
| McKenzie County | 15,192 | ▼ 4.7% | 363 MW | — | — | — |
| McLean County | 9,740 | ▲ 2.6% | 1,216 MW | — | 1 | — |
| 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
Mountrail County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Mountrail County, North Dakota?
6 utilities have service territory in Mountrail County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Otter Tail Power Co, Verendrye Electric Coop Inc, Mountrail-Williams Elec Coop. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Mountrail County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Mountrail County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Williams County.
Is Mountrail County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,391 jobs in 2025 against 6,301 in 2019 (-14.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Mountrail County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Mountrail County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.