<ARTICLE>                                           UT
<LEGEND>
     This schedule  contains summary  financial  information  extracted from the
consolidated  balance sheet of MidAmerican  Energy Company as of March 31, 1998,
and the related  consolidated  statements of income and cash flows for the three
months  ended March 31,  1998,  and is qualified in its entirety by reference to
such financial statements.
 </LEGEND> 
<CIK>                         0000928576
<NAME>                        MIDAMERICAN ENERGY COMPANY
<MULTIPLIER>                                   1,000
       
                             
<PERIOD-TYPE>                   3-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                              DEC-31-1998
<PERIOD-START>                                 JAN-01-1998
<PERIOD-END>                                   MAR-31-1998
<BOOK-VALUE>                                   PER-BOOK
<TOTAL-NET-UTILITY-PLANT>                      2,605,437
<OTHER-PROPERTY-AND-INVEST>                    141,479
<TOTAL-CURRENT-ASSETS>                         213,487
<TOTAL-DEFERRED-CHARGES>                       330,357
<OTHER-ASSETS>                                 170,771
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                 3,461,531
<COMMON>                                       560,562
<CAPITAL-SURPLUS-PAID-IN>                      0
<RETAINED-EARNINGS>                            428,523
<TOTAL-COMMON-STOCKHOLDERS-EQ>                 989,085
<PREFERRED-MANDATORY>                          150,000
<PREFERRED>                                    31,761
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-NET>                           919,815
<SHORT-TERM-NOTES>                             0
<LONG-TERM-NOTES-PAYABLE>                      0
<COMMERCIAL-PAPER-OBLIGATIONS>                 115,102
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-CURRENT-PORT>                  49,837
<PREFERRED-STOCK-CURRENT>                      0
<CAPITAL-LEASE-OBLIGATIONS>                    0
<LEASES-CURRENT>                               0
<OTHER-ITEMS-CAPITAL-AND-LIAB>                 1,205,931
<TOT-CAPITALIZATION-AND-LIAB>                  3,461,531
<GROSS-OPERATING-REVENUE>                      429,554
<INCOME-TAX-EXPENSE>                           28,953
<OTHER-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                     350,099
<TOTAL-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                     379,052
<OPERATING-INCOME-LOSS>                        50,502
<OTHER-INCOME-NET>                             4,639
<INCOME-BEFORE-INTEREST-EXPEN>                 55,141
<TOTAL-INTEREST-EXPENSE>                       21,962
<NET-INCOME>                                   33,179
<PREFERRED-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                    1,237
<EARNINGS-AVAILABLE-FOR-COMM>                  31,942
<COMMON-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                       28,600
<TOTAL-INTEREST-ON-BONDS>                      17,553
<CASH-FLOW-OPERATIONS>                         179,495
<EPS-PRIMARY>                                  0
<EPS-DILUTED>                                  0