Dane County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Madison, Sun Prairie and Fitchburg
Dane County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Dane County, 24% of Wisconsin's total. Dane County is home to Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg and Middleton. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (2 in force); the latest is “Local moratorium on data centers through December 4, 2027”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including QTS DeForest / Vienna Annexation ($12B, cancelled). 361 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Invenergy Services LLC (solar), the 4th largest pipeline among Wisconsin's counties. 361 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Dane County
Dane County is home to Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg and Middleton.
And 16 smaller places.
- Belleville also extends into Green County.
- Cambridge also extends into Jefferson County.
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 Dane County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 562,615 | 590,375 | ▲ 4.9% | 2nd of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 344,363 | 361,286 | ▲ 4.9% | 10th of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $58,784 | $77,260 | ▲ 31.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,065 | 18,620 | ▲ 15.9% | 33rd of 61 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,303 | 2,365 | ▲ 2.7% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,238 | 1,665 | ▲ 34.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,332 | 1,578 | ▲ 18.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 2.9% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 105 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 10 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 361 MW | 31% of today's fleet | 4th of 17 by size |
Construction employs 18,620, up 15.9% since 2019. Its power plants have 1,172 MW of capacity, 82% of it natural gas, the 6th largest fleet in Wisconsin. 10 MW has retired here since 2019, including Dane County Landfill #2 Rodefeld (other technologies, 6 MW, 2019). 105 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 361,286 jobs in 2025, up 4.9% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 72 Wisconsin counties). Electrical contractors employ 2,365, up 2.7% since 2019 against up 21.6% statewide, at an average $94,413 a year. Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019. Wisconsin Electric Power Co is the largest utility serving Dane County, one of 11 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.23¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. 590,375 people live here, up 4.9% since 2020, 2nd of 72 Wisconsin counties by population.
Who powers Dane County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +95 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Dane County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,048,148 | 19.23¢ | 38% |
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 437,211 | 16.89¢ | 22% |
| Madison Gas & Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 147,501 | 20.34¢ | 68% |
| Adams-Columbia Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 35,910 | 17.63¢ | 16% |
| Sun Prairie Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 16,647 | 12.13¢ | 49% |
| City of Stoughton - (WI) | Municipal | Bundled | 8,391 | 12.60¢ | 41% |
| Rock Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,310 | 14.47¢ | 18% |
| Village of Waunakee - (WI) | Municipal | Bundled | 6,677 | 11.70¢ | 41% |
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 24
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 955 MW | 82% |
| Petroleum | 101 MW | 9% |
| Solar | 84 MW | 7% |
| Battery storage | 21 MW | 2% |
| Wind | 10 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RockGen Energy Center | Dairyland Power Coop | Natural gas | 561 MW | 2001 |
| West Campus Cogeneration Facility | Madison Gas & Electric Co | Natural gas | 169 MW | 2005 |
| Blount Street | Madison Gas & Electric Co | Natural gas | 100 MW | 1957 |
| Fitchburg | Madison Gas & Electric Co | Natural gas | 58 MW | 1973 |
| Diesel Generators | Madison Gas & Electric Co | Petroleum | 54 MW | 2001 |
| Epic Verona | Epic Hosting, LLC | Petroleum | 46 MW | 2009 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koshkonong Solar Energy Center LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 300 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Invenergy Services LLC |
| Sunnyside Solar Energy Center | Batteries | 40 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Madison Gas & Electric Co |
| Sunnyside Solar Energy Center | Solar Photovoltaic | 20 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Madison Gas & Electric Co |
| Vienna Walbec Customer Hosted | Solar Photovoltaic | 1 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | Wisconsin Power & Light Co |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County Landfill #2 Rodefeld | Other technologies | 6 MW | 2019 |
| Clean Fuel Dane Community Digester | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2020 |
| GL Dairy Biogas | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Dane County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 361,286 | $77,260 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 18,620 | $87,339 | 0.97 |
| Electrical contractors | 2,365 | $94,413 | 0.91 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,665 | $99,004 | 2.85 |
| Data processing and hosting | 1,578 | $130,828 | 1.41 |
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 Dane County
9 data centers in Dane County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 2
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local moratorium on data centers through December 4, 2027 | In force | 2026-06 | |
| Dane County (18-month hyperscale data center moratorium passed), WI data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QTS DeForest / Vienna Annexation ($12B, cancelled) | cancelled | — |
Dane County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Dane County, Columbia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County | 590,375 | ▲ 4.9% | 1,172 MW | 361 MW | 9 | 2 |
| Columbia County | 58,132 | ▼ 4.2% | 1,300 MW | 500 MW | — | — |
| Dodge County | 89,097 | ▲ 3.7% | 337 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Green County | 37,227 | ▼ 0.5% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Iowa County | 23,951 | ▲ 3.4% | 330 MW | — | — | — |
| Jefferson County | 86,505 | ▲ 0.5% | 760 MW | 249 MW | — | — |
| Rock County | 166,472 | ▲ 2.9% | 1,829 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Sauk County | 66,652 | ▼ 1.8% | 33 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Wisconsin
Dane County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Dane County, Wisconsin?
11 utilities have service territory in Dane County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wisconsin Electric Power Co, Wisconsin Power & Light Co, Madison Gas & Electric Co, Adams-Columbia Electric Coop. The largest, Wisconsin Electric Power Co, charged residential customers 19.23¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Madison, WI in?
Madison is in Dane County, Wisconsin. About 286,233 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Sun Prairie, WI in?
Sun Prairie is in Dane County, Wisconsin. About 39,227 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Fitchburg, WI in?
Fitchburg is in Dane County, Wisconsin. About 34,615 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Dane County?
24 operating plants with 1,172 MW of capacity. The largest is RockGen Energy Center (561 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Dane County?
361 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 361 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Invenergy Services LLC.
Are there data centers in Dane County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Dane County.
Is Dane County adding jobs?
Employers counted 361,286 jobs in 2025 against 344,363 in 2019 (+4.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 16,065 to 18,620.
Does Dane County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Dane County, 2 in force.