Slope County, North Dakota: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Slope 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. Slope County is home to Marmarth. Employers here counted 99 jobs in 2025, down 27.2% from 2019. 628 people live here, down 9.9% since 2020. Montana-Dakota Utilities Co is the largest utility serving Slope 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 2.3% in August 2026, against 2.2% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Slope County
Slope County is home to Marmarth.
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 Slope County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 697 | 628 | ▼ 9.9% | 53rd of 53 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 136 | 99 | ▼ 27.2% | 52nd of 53 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $67,917 | $66,521 | ▼ 2.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.2% | 2.3% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
Who powers Slope County
Utilities with service territory in Slope 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% |
| Roughrider Electric Cooperativ | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,183 | 10.24¢ | 43% |
| Slope Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,204 | 13.81¢ | 10% |
| Goldenwest 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 Slope County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Slope County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 99 | $66,521 | 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 Slope County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Slope County. North Dakota has 5 local measures on record statewide.
Slope County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Slope County, Stark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slope County | 628 | ▼ 27.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Adams County | 2,275 | ▼ 11.5% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Billings County | 1,071 | ▲ 40.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Bowman County | 2,762 | ▼ 5.5% | 220 MW | — | — | — |
| Fallon County MT | 2,959 | ▼ 12.2% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Golden Valley County | 1,808 | ▲ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Hettinger County | 2,492 | ▲ 1.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Stark County | 34,013 | ▼ 2.3% | 300 MW | — | — | — |
More of North Dakota
Slope County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Slope County, North Dakota?
4 utilities have service territory in Slope County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, Roughrider Electric Cooperativ, Slope Electric Coop Inc, Goldenwest Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Montana-Dakota Utilities Co, charged residential customers 11.72¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Slope County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Slope County.
Is Slope County adding jobs?
Employers counted 99 jobs in 2025 against 136 in 2019 (-27.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Slope County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Slope County. North Dakota has 5 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.