Polk County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Alden, Amery and Osceola
Polk County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Polk County is home to Alden, Amery, Osceola and St. Croix Falls. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Proposed county moratorium on data centers”. Construction employs 660, up 14.2% since 2019. 104 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 146 MW of capacity, 72% of it solar.
Cities and towns in Polk County
Polk County is home to Alden, Amery, Osceola and St. Croix Falls.
And 5 smaller places.
- Turtle Lake also extends into Barron County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lewis.
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 Polk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 45,028 | 45,803 | ▲ 1.7% | 33rd of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,826 | 15,663 | ▼ 1.0% | 41st of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,089 | $50,000 | ▲ 31.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 578 | 660 | ▲ 14.2% | 37th of 61 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7 | 19 | ▲ 171.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.2% | 3.6% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 104 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.2% in 2019. Northern States Power Co is the largest utility serving Polk County, one of 5 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 15,663 jobs in 2025, down 1.0% from 2019. 45,803 people live here, up 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Polk County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +104 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Polk 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% |
| Northwestern Wisconsin Elec Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 12,990 | 13.84¢ | 29% |
| 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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 106 MW | 72% |
| Hydro | 23 MW | 16% |
| Petroleum | 14 MW | 9% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple River Solar, LLC | Geronimo Power | Solar | 100 MW | 2025 |
| St Croix Falls | Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Hydro | 23 MW | 1910 |
| Frederic Diesel | Northwestern Wisconsin Elec Co | Petroleum | 14 MW | 1948 |
| Viresco Turtle Lake | Viresco Turtle Lake | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2013 |
| Luck | OneEnergy, Inc. | Solar | 2 MW | 2025 |
| Georgetown (Polk Burnett) | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 2 MW | 2023 |
The Polk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 15,663 | $50,000 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 660 | $64,597 | 0.80 |
| Power and communication line construction | 19 | $75,314 | 0.75 |
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 Polk County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed county moratorium on data centers | In force | 2026-08 |
Polk County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Polk County, Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 45,803 | ▼ 1.0% | 146 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Barron County | 46,484 | ▼ 3.6% | 33 MW | 5 MW | — | — |
| Burnett County | 17,223 | ▲ 12.8% | 11 MW | 2 MW | — | — |
| Chisago County MN | 59,142 | ▲ 4.2% | 191 MW | 80 MW | — | — |
| Dunn County | 46,223 | ▲ 3.2% | 15 MW | — | 1 | — |
| St. Croix County | 98,276 | ▲ 9.5% | 10 MW | 101 MW | — | 1 |
| Washington County MN | 286,895 | ▲ 9.3% | 924 MW | — | 3 | 1 |
More of Wisconsin
Polk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Polk County, Wisconsin?
5 utilities have service territory in Polk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Northern States Power Co, Polk-Burnett Electric Coop, Barron Electric Coop, Northwestern Wisconsin Elec Co. The largest, Northern States Power Co, charged residential customers 15.83¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Polk County?
7 operating plants with 146 MW of capacity. The largest is Apple River Solar, LLC (100 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Polk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Polk County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Washington County.
Is Polk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 15,663 jobs in 2025 against 15,826 in 2019 (-1.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 578 to 660.
Does Polk County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Polk County, 1 in force.