Eau Claire County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Eau Claire, Altoona and Washington
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Eau Claire County. Eau Claire County is home to most of Eau Claire (70,095 of its 72,465 residents), Altoona, Washington and Pleasant Valley. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Committee directs drafting of data center moratorium resolution”. Construction employs 2,157, up 6.2% since 2019. Owners plan to retire 12 MW more by 2035, led by Dells in 2033. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Eau Claire County
Eau Claire County is home to most of Eau Claire (70,095 of its 72,465 residents), Altoona, Washington and Pleasant Valley.
- Eau Claire also extends into Chippewa County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Seymour.
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 Eau Claire County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 105,898 | 109,033 | ▲ 3.0% | 14th of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 58,560 | 58,593 | ▲ 0.1% | 33rd of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $47,148 | $59,778 | ▲ 26.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,032 | 2,157 | ▲ 6.2% | 45th of 61 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 398 | 392 | ▼ 1.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 3.1% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 15 MW of capacity, 83% of it hydro. Electrical contractors employ 392, down 1.5% since 2019 against up 21.6% statewide, at an average $76,812 a year. Northern States Power Co is the largest utility serving Eau Claire County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.83¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. Employers here counted 58,593 jobs in 2025, up 0.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. 109,033 people live here, up 3.0% since 2020.
Who powers Eau Claire County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Eau Claire 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% |
| Riverland Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,970 | 16.30¢ | 13% |
| Eau Claire Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (WI) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 12 MW | 83% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 17% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dells | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Hydro | 12 MW | 1923 |
| Bridge Creek | OneEnergy, Inc. | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dells | Hydro | 12 MW | 2033 |
The Eau Claire County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 58,593 | $59,778 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,157 | $75,685 | 0.69 |
| Electrical contractors | 392 | $76,812 | 0.93 |
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 Eau Claire County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Committee directs drafting of data center moratorium resolution | Proposed | 2026-09 |
Eau Claire County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Eau Claire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire County | 109,033 | ▲ 0.1% | 15 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Buffalo County | 13,318 | ▼ 10.1% | 390 MW | 3 MW | — | — |
| Chippewa County | 67,614 | ▲ 10.6% | 572 MW | 4 MW | — | 1 |
| Clark County | 35,052 | ▲ 2.9% | 2 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Dunn County | 46,223 | ▲ 3.2% | 15 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Jackson County | 20,999 | ▼ 13.5% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Pepin County | 7,513 | ▲ 6.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Trempealeau County | 31,171 | ▼ 10.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
More of Wisconsin
Eau Claire County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin?
4 utilities have service territory in Eau Claire County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co, Riverland Energy Cooperative, Eau Claire Electric Coop, Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (WI). The largest, Northern States Power Co, charged residential customers 15.83¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Eau Claire, WI in?
Most of Eau Claire is in Eau Claire County: 70,095 of its 72,465 residents, or 97%. The rest of the city lies in Chippewa County.
What power plants are in Eau Claire County?
2 operating plants with 15 MW of capacity. The largest is Dells (12 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Eau Claire County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Eau Claire County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Dunn County.
Is Eau Claire County adding jobs?
Employers counted 58,593 jobs in 2025 against 58,560 in 2019 (+0.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,032 to 2,157.
Does Eau Claire County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Eau Claire County, 0 in force.