# Sargent County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to De Lamere No data center or power plant project is on record in Sargent County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Employers here counted 2,608 jobs in 2025, down 27.9% from 2019. Sargent County is home to Gwinner and Milnor. Next door, Dickey County has 10 data centers. Construction employs 105, down 4.5% since 2019. Cass County Elec Coop Inc is the largest utility serving Sargent County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.45¢/kWh in 2024, above the 11.38¢ median for North Dakota utilities. -27.9% total jobs since 2019, now 2,608 12.45¢ per kWh for Cass County Elec Coop Inc residential customers, 2024 3,711 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Sargent County Sargent County is home to Gwinner and Milnor. Gwinner894 residents Milnor606 residents Forman489 residents Rutland156 residents Hall Township114 residents Milnor Township109 residents Vivian Township90 residents Willey Township88 residents Dunbar Township86 residents Kingston Township86 residents Whitestone Hill Township77 residents Ransom Township75 residents Cogswell69 residents Havana64 residents Denver Township61 residents Weber Township61 residents Bowen Township59 residents Shuman Township55 residents Herman Township52 residents Forman Township51 residents Rutland Township50 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): De Lamere. 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 Sargent County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,840 | 3,711 | ▼ 3.4% | 29th of 53 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,618 | 2,608 | ▼ 27.9% | 53rd of 53 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,391 | $65,179 | ▲ 43.6% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 110 | 105 | ▼ 4.5% | 17th of 20 by growth | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.0% | 2.0% | ● 0.0pts | — | 3,711 people live here, down 3.4% since 2020. Unemployment was 2.0% in August 2026, against 2.0% in 2019. ## Who powers Sargent County ### Utilities with service territory in Sargent 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% | | 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. No operating power plant is located in Sargent County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Sargent County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 2,608 | $65,179 | 1.00 | | Construction | 105 | $70,937 | 0.76 | 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 Sargent County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Sargent County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide. ## Sargent County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Sargent 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sargent County | 3,711 | ▼ 27.9% | — | — | — | — | | Brown County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/brown-county) SD | 37,561 | ▼ 4.0% | 327 MW | 32 MW | — | — | | Dickey County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/dickey-county) | 4,895 | ▲ 38.7% | 330 MW | — | 10 | — | | Marshall County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/marshall-county) SD | 4,426 | ▲ 4.7% | — | — | — | — | | Ransom County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/ransom-county) | 5,617 | ▼ 2.5% | 10 MW | — | — | — | | Richland County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/richland-county) | 16,731 | ▲ 0.9% | 2 MW | 295 MW | — | — | | Roberts County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/south-dakota/roberts-county) SD | 10,255 | ▼ 4.7% | — | — | — | — | ## More of North Dakota [All North Dakota countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota)[Richland County16,731 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/richland-county)[Ransom County5,617 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/ransom-county)[Dickey County4,895 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/dickey-county) ## Sargent County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Sargent County, North Dakota? 5 utilities have service territory in Sargent County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Cass County Elec Coop Inc, Otter Tail Power Co, Dakota Valley Elec Coop Inc, Northern Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Cass County Elec Coop Inc, charged residential customers 12.45¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Sargent County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sargent County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Dickey County. ### Is Sargent County adding jobs? Employers counted 2,608 jobs in 2025 against 3,618 in 2019 (-27.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 110 to 105. ### Does Sargent County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Sargent County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/north-dakota/sargent-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/).