Sauk County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Baraboo, Reedsburg and Prairie du Sac
Sauk County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Sauk County is home to Baraboo, Reedsburg, Prairie du Sac and Lake Delton. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers for a stated term”. Construction employs 2,094, up 10.3% since 2019. Its power plants have 33 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro. Employers here counted 36,443 jobs in 2025, down 1.8% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Sauk County
Sauk County is home to Baraboo, Reedsburg, Prairie du Sac and Lake Delton.
And 7 smaller places.
- Wisconsin Dells also extends into Columbia County, Adams County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Bluffview, Lake Wisconsin.
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 Sauk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 65,796 | 66,652 | ▲ 1.3% | 25th of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 37,101 | 36,443 | ▼ 1.8% | 46th of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,469 | $52,402 | ▲ 29.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,898 | 2,094 | ▲ 10.3% | 42nd of 61 by growth |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 31 | 17 | ▼ 45.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.8% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Wisconsin Power & Light Co is the largest utility serving Sauk County, one of 9 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.89¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities. Unemployment was 2.8% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. 66,652 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020.
Who powers Sauk County
Utilities with service territory in Sauk County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 437,211 | 16.89¢ | 22% |
| Adams-Columbia Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 35,910 | 17.63¢ | 16% |
| Oakdale Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,027 | 15.87¢ | 14% |
| Reedsburg Utility Comm | Municipal | Bundled | 4,833 | 12.08¢ | 29% |
| Village of Prairie Du Sac - (WI) | Municipal | Bundled | 1,921 | 11.32¢ | 46% |
| Richland Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Sauk City - (WI) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vernon 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 33 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Du Sac | Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Hydro | 33 MW | 1915 |
The Sauk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 36,443 | $52,402 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,094 | $78,393 | 1.08 |
| Power and communication line construction | 17 | $60,136 | 0.29 |
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 Sauk County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers for a stated term | In force | 2026-09 |
Sauk County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Sauk County, Dane 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk County | 66,652 | ▼ 1.8% | 33 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Columbia County | 58,132 | ▼ 4.2% | 1,300 MW | 500 MW | — | — |
| Dane County | 590,375 | ▲ 4.9% | 1,172 MW | 361 MW | 9 | 2 |
| Iowa County | 23,951 | ▲ 3.4% | 330 MW | — | — | — |
| Juneau County | 26,649 | ▼ 2.3% | 45 MW | 230 MW | — | — |
| Richland County | 17,036 | ▲ 0.2% | 56 MW | — | — | — |
| Vernon County | 31,443 | ▼ 1.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
More of Wisconsin
Sauk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Sauk County, Wisconsin?
9 utilities have service territory in Sauk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wisconsin Power & Light Co, Adams-Columbia Electric Coop, Oakdale Electric Coop, Reedsburg Utility Comm. The largest, Wisconsin Power & Light Co, charged residential customers 16.89¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Baraboo, WI in?
Baraboo is in Sauk County, Wisconsin. About 13,224 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Reedsburg, WI in?
Reedsburg is in Sauk County, Wisconsin. About 10,641 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Sauk County?
1 operating plant with 33 MW of capacity. The largest is Prairie Du Sac (33 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Sauk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Sauk County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Dane County.
Is Sauk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 36,443 jobs in 2025 against 37,101 in 2019 (-1.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,898 to 2,094.
Does Sauk County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Sauk County, 1 in force.