Pierce County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Rugby
Pierce 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. Pierce County is home to Rugby. Its power plants have 149 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Employers here counted 1,620 jobs in 2025, down 2.4% from 2019. Otter Tail Power Co is the largest utility serving Pierce County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.38¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 2.3% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Pierce County
Pierce County is home to Rugby.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Barton, Orrin, Selz.
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 Pierce County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,981 | 3,838 | ▼ 3.6% | 27th of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,660 | 1,620 | ▼ 2.4% | 29th of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,416 | $51,409 | ▲ 21.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 93 | 71 | ▼ 23.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 2.3% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
3,838 people live here, down 3.6% since 2020.
Who powers Pierce County
Utilities with service territory in Pierce County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 45,467 | 11.38¢ | 77% |
| Verendrye Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,336 | 10.70¢ | 24% |
| Northern Plains Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,393 | 10.65¢ | 17% |
| North Central Elec Coop, Inc - (ND) | Cooperative | Bundled | 6,061 | 10.90¢ | 36% |
| 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 149 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby Wind Power Project | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 149 MW | 2009 |
The Pierce County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,620 | $51,409 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 71 | $61,271 | 0.83 |
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 Pierce County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pierce County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Pierce County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Pierce County, Rolette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County | 3,838 | ▼ 2.4% | 149 MW | — | — | — |
| Benson County | 5,759 | ▲ 3.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Bottineau County | 6,284 | ▲ 5.7% | — | — | — | — |
| McHenry County | 5,130 | ▲ 2.3% | 112 MW | — | — | — |
| Rolette County | 11,688 | ▲ 7.1% | 150 MW | — | — | — |
| Sheridan County | 1,296 | ▼ 8.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Towner County | 2,040 | ▼ 10.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Wells County | 3,729 | ▲ 1.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of North Dakota
Pierce County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pierce County, North Dakota?
5 utilities have service territory in Pierce County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Otter Tail Power Co, Verendrye Electric Coop Inc, Northern Plains Electric Coop, North Central Elec Coop, Inc - (ND). The largest, Otter Tail Power Co, charged residential customers 11.38¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Pierce County?
1 operating plant with 149 MW of capacity. The largest is Rugby Wind Power Project (149 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Pierce County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pierce County.
Is Pierce County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,620 jobs in 2025 against 1,660 in 2019 (-2.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 93 to 71.
Does Pierce County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pierce County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.