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

Home to Merrill, Tomahawk and Bradley

No data center or power plant project is on record in Lincoln County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Lincoln County is home to Merrill, Tomahawk, Bradley and Pine River. Construction employs 403, down 12.8% since 2019. Employers here counted 9,938 jobs in 2025, down 8.7% from 2019. Its power plants have 45 MW of capacity, 65% of it hydro. Electrical contractors employ 118, at an average $72,646 a year.

-8.7%
total jobs since 2019, now 9,938

45 MW
of operating power plants, mostly hydro

16.23¢
per kWh for Wisconsin Public Service Corp residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Lincoln County

Lincoln County is home to Merrill, Tomahawk, Bradley and Pine River.

Merrill9,389 residents
Tomahawk3,387 residents
Bradley2,425 residents
Pine River1,845 residents
Scott1,371 residents
King973 residents
Schley953 residents
Corning830 residents
Harrison815 residents
Russell704 residents
Rock Falls619 residents
Birch570 residents
Skanawan381 residents
Harding364 residents
Wilson322 residents
Somo129 residents

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 Lincoln County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 28,423 | 28,403 | ▼ 0.1% | 45th of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,887 | 9,938 | ▼ 8.7% | 66th of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,793 | $54,291 | ▲ 29.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 462 | 403 | ▼ 12.8% | 59th of 61 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Wisconsin Public Service Corp is the largest utility serving Lincoln County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.23¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 28,403 people live here, down 0.1% since 2020.

## Who powers Lincoln County

### Utilities with service territory in Lincoln County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Public Service Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 411,775 | 16.23¢ | 38% |
| Northern States Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 220,574 | 15.83¢ | 40% |
| Price Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Taylor Electric Coop - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 29 MW | 65% |
| Other technologies | 16 MW | 35% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging of America Tomahawk Mill | PCA-Tomahawk Mill | Hydro | 19 MW | 1920 |
| Grandfather Falls | Wisconsin Public Service Corp | Hydro | 17 MW | 1938 |
| Alexander | Wisconsin Public Service Corp | Hydro | 4 MW | 1925 |
| Tomahawk | Wisconsin Public Service Corp | Hydro | 3 MW | 1938 |
| Merrill | Wisconsin Public Service Corp | Hydro | 2 MW | 1917 |

## The Lincoln County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,938 | $54,291 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 403 | $68,222 | 0.77 |
| Electrical contractors | 118 | $72,646 | 1.65 |

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 Lincoln County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lincoln County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: [Marathon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/marathon-county), [Oneida County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county).

## Lincoln County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Lincoln County, Marathon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 28,403 | ▼ 8.7% | 45 MW | — | — | — |
| Langlade County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/langlade-county) | 19,534 | ▼ 3.5% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Marathon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/marathon-county) | 139,432 | ▼ 2.7% | 1,164 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Oneida County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county) | 38,131 | ▲ 6.7% | 30 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Price County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/price-county) | 13,988 | ▼ 11.3% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Taylor County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/taylor-county) | 20,118 | ▼ 4.5% | 4 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Wisconsin

[All Wisconsin countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin)[Marathon County139,432 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/marathon-county)[Oneida County38,131 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/oneida-county)[Taylor County20,118 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/taylor-county)[Langlade County19,534 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/langlade-county)[Price County13,988 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/wisconsin/price-county)

## Lincoln County, answered from the record

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

4 utilities have service territory in Lincoln County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wisconsin Public Service Corp, Northern States Power Co, Price Electric Coop Inc, Taylor Electric Coop - (WI). The largest, Wisconsin Public Service Corp, charged residential customers 16.23¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Lincoln County?

5 operating plants with 45 MW of capacity. The largest is Packaging of America Tomahawk Mill (19 MW, hydro).

### Are there data centers in Lincoln County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lincoln County.

### Is Lincoln County adding jobs?

Employers counted 9,938 jobs in 2025 against 10,887 in 2019 (-8.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 462 to 403.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Lincoln 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/lincoln-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/).