# Dunn County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Menomonie, Tainter and Red Cedar

Dunn County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Dunn County. Dunn County is home to Menomonie, Tainter, Red Cedar and Spring Brook. Owners plan to retire 5 MW more by 2035, led by Menomonie in 2035. 3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 18,155 jobs in 2025, up 3.2% from 2019.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

+3.2%
total jobs since 2019, now 18,155

15 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

## Cities and towns in Dunn County

Dunn County is home to Menomonie, Tainter, Red Cedar and Spring Brook.

Menomonie16,664 residents
Tainter2,690 residents
Red Cedar2,480 residents
Spring Brook1,793 residents
Dunn1,477 residents
Colfax1,193 residents
Elk Mound1,084 residents
Boyceville1,077 residents
Rock Creek1,013 residents
Sherman986 residents
Eau Galle799 residents
Stanton780 residents
New Haven704 residents
Lucas703 residents
Hay River650 residents
Tiffany643 residents
Sand Creek603 residents
Weston568 residents
Otter Creek527 residents
Wilson525 residents
Knapp485 residents
Sheridan477 residents
Grant399 residents
Wheeler327 residents

And 3 smaller places.

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Downsville, Rock Falls, Tainter Lake.

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 Dunn County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 45,462 | 46,223 | ▲ 1.7% | 32nd of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,585 | 18,155 | ▲ 3.2% | 16th of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,589 | $55,096 | ▲ 29.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.2% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 15 MW of capacity, 74% of it hydro. Northern States Power Co is the largest utility serving Dunn County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.83¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019. 46,223 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020.

## Who powers Dunn County

### Utilities with service territory in Dunn County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 220,574 | 15.83¢ | 40% |
| Polk-Burnett Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,379 | 15.90¢ | 22% |
| Barron Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,266 | 15.72¢ | 9% |
| Dunn County Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,482 | 15.45¢ | 24% |
| Chippewa Valley Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eau Claire Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| St Croix Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 11 MW | 74% |
| Solar | 4 MW | 26% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Falls (WI) | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Hydro | 6 MW | 1910 |
| Menomonie | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Hydro | 5 MW | 1958 |
| Hay River (Dunn 1) | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 2 MW | 2024 |
| Walleye (Dunn 2) | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 2 MW | 2024 |
| Downsville DPC Solar | SoCore Energy LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2017 |

### Scheduled to retire

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menomonie | Hydro | 5 MW | 2035 |

## The Dunn County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 18,155 | $55,096 | 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 Dunn County

1 data center in Dunn County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Dunn County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Dunn County, Chippewa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunn County | 46,223 | ▲ 3.2% | 15 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Barron County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/barron-county) | 46,484 | ▼ 3.6% | 33 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Chippewa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/chippewa-county) | 67,614 | ▲ 10.6% | 572 MW | 4 MW | — | 1 |
| Eau Claire County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/eau-claire-county) | 109,033 | ▲ 0.1% | 15 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Pepin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/pepin-county) | 7,513 | ▲ 6.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Pierce County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/pierce-county) | 43,519 | ▲ 0.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Polk County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/polk-county) | 45,803 | ▼ 1.0% | 146 MW | — | — | 1 |
| St. Croix County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/st-croix-county) | 98,276 | ▲ 9.5% | 10 MW | 101 MW | — | 1 |

## More of Wisconsin

[All Wisconsin countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin)[Eau Claire County109,033 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/eau-claire-county)[St. Croix County98,276 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/st-croix-county)[Chippewa County67,614 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/chippewa-county)[Barron County46,484 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/barron-county)[Polk County45,803 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/polk-county)

## Dunn County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Dunn County, Wisconsin?

7 utilities have service territory in Dunn County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co, Polk-Burnett Electric Coop, Barron Electric Coop, Dunn County Electric Coop. The largest, Northern States Power Co, charged residential customers 15.83¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Menomonie, WI in?

Menomonie is in Dunn County, Wisconsin. About 16,664 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Dunn County?

5 operating plants with 15 MW of capacity. The largest is Cedar Falls (WI) (6 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Dunn County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Dunn County.

### Is Dunn County adding jobs?

Employers counted 18,155 jobs in 2025 against 17,585 in 2019 (+3.2%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Dunn County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Dunn County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/dunn-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/).