Clay County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Piggott, Corning and Rector
Clay County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Clay County is home to Piggott, Corning and Rector. Construction employs 143, up 33.6% since 2019. 1 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Employers here counted 3,023 jobs in 2025, down 3.8% from 2019. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 88% of it petroleum.
Cities and towns in Clay County
Clay County is home to Piggott, Corning and Rector.
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 Clay County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 14,535 | 14,052 | ▼ 3.3% | 52nd of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,141 | 3,023 | ▼ 3.8% | 50th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,661 | $42,856 | ▲ 35.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 107 | 143 | ▲ 33.6% | 10th of 35 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 3.8% | ▼ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Clay County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.97¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.11¢ median for Arkansas utilities. 14,052 people live here, down 3.3% since 2020.
Who powers Clay County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Clay 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% |
| Clay County Electric Coop Corp - (AR) | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,523 | 14.19¢ | 29% |
| City of Piggott - (AR) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 7 MW | 88% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 12% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Light | City of Piggott - (AR) | Petroleum | 7 MW | 1952 |
| Clay County Electrical Cooperative | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2020 |
The Clay County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,023 | $42,856 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 143 | $43,104 | 0.89 |
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 Clay County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Clay County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Clay County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Clay County, Dunklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 14,052 | ▼ 3.8% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Butler County MO | 41,904 | ▼ 0.2% | 34 MW | — | — | — |
| Dunklin County MO | 26,855 | ▲ 1.8% | 559 MW | — | — | — |
| Greene County | 47,411 | ▼ 1.3% | 35 MW | — | — | — |
| Randolph County | 18,876 | ▲ 9.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Ripley County MO | 10,717 | ▲ 3.5% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Clay County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Clay County, Arkansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Clay County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Clay County Electric Coop Corp - (AR), City of Piggott - (AR). The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Clay County?
2 operating plants with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is Municipal Light (7 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Clay County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Clay County.
Is Clay County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,023 jobs in 2025 against 3,141 in 2019 (-3.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 107 to 143.
Does Clay County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Clay County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.