Who runs the utilities in Minnesota?
Minnesota has 2,329,615 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (90% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 60.4%. Cooperative 31.3%. Municipal 8.3%. Minnesota ranks 37th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Minnesota homes by utility type
Minnesota: customers by type, %
- 60.4Investor-owned
- 8.3Municipal
- 31.3Cooperative
| Minnesota type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 4 | 1,406,159 | 60.4% | 16.57 | not shown | 603 | 61% |
| Municipal | 120 | 193,448 | 8.3% | 14.70 | -1.87 (-11%) | 642 | 34% |
| Cooperative | 45 | 730,008 | 31.3% | 14.59 | -1.98 (-12%) | 888 | 49% |
| Political subdivision | 3 | 0 | none | none | not shown | none | no county data |
Minnesota: 124 short-form utilities with 291,088 customers (all sectors) have no residential split, so the sales file reaches 90% of homes.
Minnesota prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 14.7 cents, 1.9 cents (11%) below investor-owned at 16.6; cooperatives average 14.6 cents, 2.0 cents (12%) below investor-owned at 16.6.
Minnesota gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Minnesota: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 16.6 cents and cooperatives at 14.6 are the widest pair in Minnesota, 2.0 cents (14%).
Investor-owned: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota holds 87% of priced customers at 17.0 cents, group average 16.6. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Otter Tail Power Co charges 11.3 and Northern States Power Co - Minnesota 17.0, 5.6 cents apart.
Municipal: Rochester Public Utilities holds 28% of priced customers at 17.9 cents, group average 14.7. Among 13 with 5,000+ customers, City of Marshall charges 9.7 and Rochester Public Utilities 17.9, 8.2 cents apart.
Cooperative: Connexus Energy holds 18% of priced customers at 13.7 cents, group average 14.6. Among 21 with 5,000+ customers, Federated Rural Electric Assn charges 11.6 and Lake Country Power 17.9, 6.3 cents apart.
Minnesota territory, rural or urban
Minnesota has 87 counties, 69% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 61% nonmetro; municipal territory is 34% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 49% nonmetro.
Minnesota: largest utilities
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | Investor-owned | 1,230,057 | 16.98 | 588 | 58% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connexus Energy | Cooperative | 134,095 | 13.66 | 772 | 0% |
| ALLETE, Inc. | Investor-owned | 125,896 | 15.66 | 651 | 76% |
| Dakota Electric Association | Cooperative | 108,097 | 14.00 | 716 | 50% |
| East Central Energy | Cooperative | 55,250 | 16.89 | 820 | 40% |
| Rochester Public Utilities | Municipal | 54,943 | 17.91 | 560 | 0% |
| Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn | Cooperative | 53,714 | 14.59 | 897 | 29% |
| Otter Tail Power Co | Investor-owned | 50,118 | 11.34 | 842 | 93% |
| Lake Country Power | Cooperative | 47,204 | 17.90 | 829 | 75% |
| Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp | Cooperative | 44,698 | 13.33 | 809 | 100% |
| Minnesota Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | 43,412 | 13.98 | 948 | 33% |
| Lake Region Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 27,239 | 13.28 | 995 | 88% |
| Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn | Cooperative | 26,138 | 13.88 | 1,204 | 83% |
| People's Cooperative Services | Cooperative | 21,665 | 16.70 | 873 | 33% |
| Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 20,732 | 14.40 | 1,108 | 100% |
| Shakopee Public Utilities Comm | Municipal | 18,517 | 15.54 | 625 | 0% |
| BENCO Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 18,361 | 15.03 | 942 | 40% |
| City of Moorhead | Municipal | 18,180 | 11.38 | 816 | 0% |
| Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 17,842 | 15.15 | 848 | 57% |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | 15,224 | 16.56 | 931 | 40% |
| Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative | Cooperative | 14,546 | 17.58 | 699 | 67% |
| Runestone Electric Assn | Cooperative | 14,282 | 14.36 | 1,122 | 86% |
| Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 13,948 | 14.35 | 1,171 | 60% |
| City of Elk River | Municipal | 11,776 | 15.83 | 730 | 0% |
| City of Anoka | Municipal | 11,646 | 15.88 | 545 | 0% |
| City of Owatonna | Municipal | 11,434 | 15.27 | 631 | 100% |
| Itasca-Mantrap Co-op Electrical Assn | Cooperative | 11,200 | 13.44 | 908 | 100% |
| City of Chaska | Municipal | 10,954 | 16.28 | 647 | 0% |
| City of Austin | Municipal | 10,795 | 15.34 | 599 | 100% |
| Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric | Cooperative | 10,725 | 15.63 | 939 | 67% |
Compare your Minnesota utility
- Pick a utility.
Minnesota next to its neighbors
Minnesota: municipal -11%, cooperative -12% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
| State | Investor-owned | Municipal | Cooperative | Muni gap | Coop gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 60% | 8% | 31% | -11% | -12% |
| Iowa | 84% | 5% | 11% | -13% | -1% |
| North Dakota | 56% | 0% | 44% | not shown | -5% |
| South Dakota | 64% | 9% | 26% | -22% | -2% |
| Wisconsin | 86% | 8% | 6% | -31% | -10% |
More
Similar investor-owned share: Delaware 66%, South Dakota 64%, Colorado 58%, Alabama 57%
Sources
Minnesota: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Minnesota homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 60.4% of 2,329,615 customers.
Do Minnesota co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 14.7 cents per kWh against 16.6 for investor-owned (-11%). Cooperatives averaged 14.6 cents per kWh against 16.6 for investor-owned (-12%).
How many utilities does Minnesota have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 172; residential sales are reported by 46.
Can Minnesota customers pick their utility?
No; Minnesota shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.