# Forest County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Crandon, Nashville and Laona No data center or power plant project is on record in Forest County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Forest County is home to Crandon, Nashville, Laona and Lincoln. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.7% in 2019. Wisconsin Electric Power Co is the largest utility serving Forest County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.23¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. Employers here counted 3,222 jobs in 2025, up 0.2% from 2019. 9,574 people live here, up 4.4% since 2020. 19.23¢ per kWh for Wisconsin Electric Power Co residential customers, 2024 +0.2% total jobs since 2019, now 3,222 9,574 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Forest County Forest County is home to Crandon, Nashville, Laona and Lincoln. Crandon1,726 residents Nashville1,359 residents Laona1,238 residents Lincoln1,167 residents Wabeno1,100 residents Argonne571 residents Armstrong Creek435 residents Hiles374 residents Freedom337 residents Blackwell206 residents Alvin175 residents Ross132 residents Caswell77 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Argonne, Laona, Mole Lake, Newald, Wabeno. 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 Forest County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,173 | 9,574 | ▲ 4.4% | 68th of 72 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,215 | 3,222 | ▲ 0.2% | 32nd of 72 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,865 | $47,054 | ▲ 24.3% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.7% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.9pts | — | ## Who powers Forest County ### Utilities with service territory in Forest 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 Public Service Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 411,775 | 16.23¢ | 38% | 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 Forest County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Forest County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 3,222 | $47,054 | 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 Forest County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Forest County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Oneida County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county). ## Forest County and its neighbors Of the 7 counties that border Forest County, Marinette 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Forest County | 9,574 | ▲ 0.2% | — | — | — | — | | Florence County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/florence-county) | 4,748 | ▼ 8.3% | 18 MW | — | — | — | | Iron County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/michigan/iron-county) MI | 11,757 | ▼ 9.9% | 27 MW | — | — | — | | Langlade County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/langlade-county) | 19,534 | ▼ 3.5% | 12 MW | — | — | — | | Marinette County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/marinette-county) | 42,574 | ▼ 3.8% | 303 MW | — | — | — | | Oconto County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oconto-county) | 40,195 | ▲ 2.0% | 4 MW | — | — | — | | Oneida County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county) | 38,131 | ▲ 6.7% | 30 MW | — | — | 1 | | Vilas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/vilas-county) | 23,761 | ▲ 3.3% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Wisconsin [All Wisconsin countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin)[Marinette County42,574 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/marinette-county)[Oconto County40,195 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oconto-county)[Oneida County38,131 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county)[Vilas County23,761 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/vilas-county)[Langlade County19,534 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/langlade-county) ## Forest County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Forest County, Wisconsin? 2 utilities have service territory in Forest County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wisconsin Electric Power Co, Wisconsin Public Service Corp. The largest, Wisconsin Electric Power Co, charged residential customers 19.23¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Forest County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Forest County. ### Is Forest County adding jobs? Employers counted 3,222 jobs in 2025 against 3,215 in 2019 (+0.2%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Forest County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Forest County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/forest-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/).