Baxter County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mountain Home and Gassville
Baxter County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Baxter County is home to Mountain Home, Gassville, Cotter and Lakeview. Construction employs 685, up 34.8% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 169, up 30.0% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $45,895 a year. Employers here counted 16,448 jobs in 2025, up 11.0% from 2019 (the 10th fastest growth of 75 Arkansas counties). Its power plants have 80 MW of capacity, 100% of it hydro.
Cities and towns in Baxter County
Baxter County is home to Mountain Home, Gassville, Cotter and Lakeview.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Buffalo City, Gamaliel, Henderson, Midway.
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 Baxter County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 41,692 | 42,982 | ▲ 3.1% | 16th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,824 | 16,448 | ▲ 11.0% | 10th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,289 | $47,067 | ▲ 29.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 508 | 685 | ▲ 34.8% | 9th of 35 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 130 | 169 | ▲ 30.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Baxter 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 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. 42,982 people live here, up 3.1% since 2020.
Who powers Baxter County
Utilities with service territory in Baxter 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% |
| North Arkansas Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 36,355 | 12.86¢ | 17% |
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 | 80 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfork | USCE-Little Rock District | Hydro | 80 MW | 1944 |
The Baxter County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 16,448 | $47,067 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 685 | $46,279 | 0.79 |
| Electrical contractors | 169 | $45,895 | 1.42 |
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 Baxter County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Baxter County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Baxter County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Baxter County, Marion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter County | 42,982 | ▲ 11.0% | 80 MW | — | — | — |
| Fulton County | 12,492 | ▼ 13.7% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Izard County | 14,405 | ▼ 4.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Marion County | 17,593 | ▼ 21.2% | 340 MW | — | — | — |
| Ozark County MO | 9,172 | ▲ 3.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Searcy County | 7,848 | ▼ 2.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Stone County | 12,703 | ▲ 0.1% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Baxter County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Baxter County, Arkansas?
2 utilities have service territory in Baxter County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, North Arkansas Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Mountain Home, AR in?
Mountain Home is in Baxter County, Arkansas. About 13,373 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Baxter County?
1 operating plant with 80 MW of capacity. The largest is Norfork (80 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Baxter County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Baxter County.
Is Baxter County adding jobs?
Employers counted 16,448 jobs in 2025 against 14,824 in 2019 (+11.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 508 to 685.
Does Baxter County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Baxter County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.