Ashley County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Crossett and Hamburg
No data center or power plant project is on record in Ashley County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Ashley County is home to Crossett and Hamburg. Construction employs 670, up 16.9% since 2019, and construction is 2.1 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. 75 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Urban Grid Solar (solar), the 9th largest pipeline among Arkansas's counties. Next door, Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, has 212 MW of planned generation. 67 MW has retired here since 2019, including Georgia-Pacific Crossett LLC (other technologies, 67 MW, 2019).
Cities and towns in Ashley County
Ashley County is home to Crossett and Hamburg.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): North Crossett, West Crossett.
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 Ashley County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,959 | 17,831 | ▼ 5.9% | 40th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,562 | 6,040 | ▼ 8.0% | 58th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,495 | $52,353 | ▲ 15.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 573 | 670 | ▲ 16.9% | 19th of 35 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 5.0% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 210 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 67 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 75 MW | 32% of today's fleet | 9th of 14 by size |
210 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 6,040 jobs in 2025, down 8.0% from 2019. Its power plants have 236 MW of capacity, 89% of it solar. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Ashley County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.97¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.11¢ median for Arkansas utilities. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. 17,831 people live here, down 5.9% since 2020.
Who powers Ashley County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +144 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ashley County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Arkansas LLC | Investor Owned | Bundled | 608,362 | 12.97¢ | 25% |
| Ashley Chicot Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 211 MW | 89% |
| Natural gas | 25 MW | 11% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Mist Solar | Prairie Mist Solar Project, LLC | Solar | 109 MW | 2024 |
| Crossett Solar | Cubico USA, LLC | Solar | 100 MW | 2024 |
| Georgia-Pacific Crossett LLC | Georgia-Pacific Crossett LLC | Natural gas | 25 MW | 1962 |
| Ashley-Chicot Solar | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2018 |
| Crossett SD | Entegrity Solar Crossett SD, LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2022 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Solar (AR) | Solar Photovoltaic | 75 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Urban Grid Solar |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia-Pacific Crossett LLC | Other technologies | 67 MW | 2019 |
The Ashley County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,040 | $52,353 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 670 | $67,580 | 2.09 |
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 Ashley County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ashley County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Union County.
Ashley County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ashley County, Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley County | 17,831 | ▼ 8.0% | 236 MW | 75 MW | — | — |
| Bradley County | 9,828 | ▼ 10.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Chicot County | 9,107 | ▼ 10.4% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| Drew County | 17,054 | ▼ 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Morehouse Parish LA | 23,705 | ▼ 4.0% | 98 MW | 212 MW | — | — |
| Union County | 36,926 | ▼ 6.6% | 2,430 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Union Parish LA | 20,561 | ▲ 8.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Ashley County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ashley County, Arkansas?
2 utilities have service territory in Ashley County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Ashley Chicot Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Ashley County?
5 operating plants with 236 MW of capacity. The largest is Prairie Mist Solar (109 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Ashley County?
75 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Urban Grid Solar.
Are there data centers in Ashley County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ashley County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Morehouse Parish.
Is Ashley County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,040 jobs in 2025 against 6,562 in 2019 (-8.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 573 to 670.
Does Ashley County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ashley County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.