Garland County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hot Springs
No data center or power plant project is on record in Garland County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Garland County is home to Hot Springs, Diamondhead and Mountain Pine. Next door, Hot Spring County has 467 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 2,006, up 5.8% since 2019. Electrical contractors employ 382, up 12.0% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $51,838 a year. 1 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Garland County
Garland County is home to Hot Springs, Diamondhead and Mountain Pine.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Crystal Springs, Hot Springs Village, Lake Hamilton, Pearcy, Piney, Rockwell.
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 Garland County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 100,259 | 99,695 | ▼ 0.6% | 8th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 37,761 | 38,517 | ▲ 2.0% | 27th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,120 | $47,102 | ▲ 26.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,896 | 2,006 | ▲ 5.8% | 26th of 35 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 341 | 382 | ▲ 12.0% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 54 | 25 | ▼ 53.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 3.6% | ▲ 0.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 132 MW of capacity, 99% of it hydro. Employers here counted 38,517 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Garland 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 3.6% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. 99,695 people live here, down 0.6% since 2020, 8th of 75 Arkansas counties by population.
Who powers Garland County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Garland 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% |
| First Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 95,175 | 12.27¢ | 11% |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hydro | 131 MW | 99% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blakely Mountain | USCE -Vickburg District | Hydro | 75 MW | 1955 |
| Carpenter | Entergy Arkansas LLC | Hydro | 56 MW | 1932 |
| Hot Springs 2020 | Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation | Solar | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Garland County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 38,517 | $47,102 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,006 | $53,865 | 0.98 |
| Electrical contractors | 382 | $51,838 | 1.38 |
| Power and communication line construction | 25 | $53,297 | 0.40 |
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 Garland County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Garland County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Garland County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Garland County, Hot Spring 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garland County | 99,695 | ▲ 2.0% | 132 MW | — | — | — |
| Hot Spring County | 33,451 | ▼ 7.2% | 2,022 MW | 467 MW | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 8,579 | ▲ 0.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Perry County | 10,309 | ▼ 3.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Saline County | 133,288 | ▲ 15.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Yell County | 19,956 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Garland County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Garland County, Arkansas?
2 utilities have service territory in Garland County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, First Electric Coop Corp. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Hot Springs, AR in?
Hot Springs is in Garland County, Arkansas. About 37,979 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Garland County?
3 operating plants with 132 MW of capacity. The largest is Blakely Mountain (75 MW, hydro).
Are there data centers in Garland County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Garland County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hot Spring County.
Is Garland County adding jobs?
Employers counted 38,517 jobs in 2025 against 37,761 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,896 to 2,006.
Does Garland County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Garland County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.