Ransom County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lisbon
Ransom 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. Ransom County is home to Lisbon and Enderlin. Next door, Dickey County has 10 data centers. Its power plants have 10 MW of capacity, 100% of it other technologies. Employers here counted 1,981 jobs in 2025, down 2.5% from 2019. Cass County Elec Coop Inc is the largest utility serving Ransom County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.45¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.38¢ median for North Dakota utilities.
Cities and towns in Ransom County
Ransom County is home to Lisbon and Enderlin.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Englevale, McLeod.
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 Ransom County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,700 | 5,617 | ▼ 1.5% | 22nd of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,032 | 1,981 | ▼ 2.5% | 30th of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,608 | $51,899 | ▲ 38.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 47 | 42 | ▼ 10.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 1.7% | 1.7% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 1.7% in August 2026, against 1.7% in 2019. 5,617 people live here, down 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Ransom County
Utilities with service territory in Ransom County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 10 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enderlin | Archer Daniels Midland Co | Other technologies | 10 MW | 1983 |
The Ransom County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,981 | $51,899 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 42 | $68,214 | 0.40 |
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 Ransom County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ransom County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Barnes County, Cass County.
Ransom County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ransom County, Dickey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom County | 5,617 | ▼ 2.5% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Barnes County | 10,573 | ▼ 1.1% | 259 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Cass County | 201,794 | ▲ 7.1% | 4 MW | — | 7 | 1 |
| Dickey County | 4,895 | ▲ 38.7% | 330 MW | — | 10 | — |
| LaMoure County | 4,135 | ▲ 4.9% | 62 MW | — | — | — |
| Richland County | 16,731 | ▲ 0.9% | 2 MW | 295 MW | — | — |
| Sargent County | 3,711 | ▼ 27.9% | — | — | — | — |
More of North Dakota
Ransom County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ransom County, North Dakota?
4 utilities have service territory in Ransom County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Cass County Elec Coop Inc, Otter Tail Power Co, Dakota Valley Elec Coop Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration. The largest, Cass County Elec Coop Inc, charged residential customers 12.45¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Ransom County?
1 operating plant with 10 MW of capacity. The largest is Enderlin (10 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in Ransom County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ransom County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Dickey County.
Is Ransom County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,981 jobs in 2025 against 2,032 in 2019 (-2.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 47 to 42.
Does Ransom County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ransom County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.