<ARTICLE>                                           UT
<LEGEND>
     This schedule  contains summary  financial  information  extracted from the
consolidated  balance sheet of  MidAmerican  Energy  Company as of September 30,
1998, and the related  consolidated  statements of income and cash flows for the
nine months  ended  September  30,  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>                   9-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                              DEC-31-1998
<PERIOD-START>                                 JAN-01-1998
<PERIOD-END>                                   SEP-30-1998
<BOOK-VALUE>                                   PER-BOOK
<TOTAL-NET-UTILITY-PLANT>                      2,607,812
<OTHER-PROPERTY-AND-INVEST>                    164,360
<TOTAL-CURRENT-ASSETS>                         259,762
<TOTAL-DEFERRED-CHARGES>                       312,874
<OTHER-ASSETS>                                 166,345
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                 3,511,153
<COMMON>                                       560,595
<CAPITAL-SURPLUS-PAID-IN>                      0
<RETAINED-EARNINGS>                            431,870
<TOTAL-COMMON-STOCKHOLDERS-EQ>                 992,465
<PREFERRED-MANDATORY>                          150,000
<PREFERRED>                                    31,759
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-NET>                           930,497
<SHORT-TERM-NOTES>                             0
<LONG-TERM-NOTES-PAYABLE>                      0
<COMMERCIAL-PAPER-OBLIGATIONS>                 73,600
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-CURRENT-PORT>                  49,628
<PREFERRED-STOCK-CURRENT>                      0
<CAPITAL-LEASE-OBLIGATIONS>                    0
<LEASES-CURRENT>                               0
<OTHER-ITEMS-CAPITAL-AND-LIAB>                 1,283,204
<TOT-CAPITALIZATION-AND-LIAB>                  3,511,153
<GROSS-OPERATING-REVENUE>                      1,211,084
<INCOME-TAX-EXPENSE>                           74,323
<OTHER-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                     971,310
<TOTAL-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                     1,045,633
<OPERATING-INCOME-LOSS>                        165,451
<OTHER-INCOME-NET>                             2,176
<INCOME-BEFORE-INTEREST-EXPEN>                 167,627
<TOTAL-INTEREST-EXPENSE>                       66,524
<NET-INCOME>                                   101,103
<PREFERRED-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                    3,714
<EARNINGS-AVAILABLE-FOR-COMM>                  97,389
<COMMON-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                       90,700
<TOTAL-INTEREST-ON-BONDS>                      53,425
<CASH-FLOW-OPERATIONS>                         343,300
<EPS-PRIMARY>                                  0
<EPS-DILUTED>                                  0