Greene County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Paragould, Marmaduke and Oak Grove Heights
Greene County supplies the labor the power build-out runs on. Electrical contractors employ 235, up 161.1% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $80,885 a year. Construction employs 530, up 51.9% since 2019. Greene County is home to Paragould, Marmaduke and Oak Grove Heights. 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 35 MW of capacity, 95% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Greene County
Greene County is home to Paragould, Marmaduke and Oak Grove Heights.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Walcott.
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 Greene County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 45,855 | 47,411 | ▲ 3.4% | 14th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15,607 | 15,401 | ▼ 1.3% | 37th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,669 | $49,301 | ▲ 27.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 349 | 530 | ▲ 51.9% | 5th of 35 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 90 | 235 | ▲ 161.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 3.9% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Greene County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.97¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.11¢ median for Arkansas utilities. Employers here counted 15,401 jobs in 2025, down 1.3% from 2019. 47,411 people live here, up 3.4% since 2020.
Who powers Greene County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Greene 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% |
| Craighead Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 25,326 | 11.99¢ | 21% |
| Paragould Municipal Utilities | Municipal | Bundled | 12,540 | 9.48¢ | 15% |
| Clay County Electric Coop Corp - (AR) | Cooperative | Bundled | 10,523 | 14.19¢ | 29% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 33 MW | 95% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 4% |
| Petroleum | 0 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paragould Reciprocating | Paragould Municipal Utilities (AR) | Natural gas | 19 MW | 2001 |
| Paragould Turbine | Paragould Municipal Utilities (AR) | Natural gas | 14 MW | 1990 |
| Paragould Solar Farm | Paragould Municipal Utilities (AR) | Solar | 2 MW | 2021 |
The Greene County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 15,401 | $49,301 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 530 | $69,150 | 0.65 |
| Electrical contractors | 235 | $80,885 | 2.12 |
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 Greene County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Greene County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Greene County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Greene 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County | 47,411 | ▼ 1.3% | 35 MW | — | — | — |
| Clay County | 14,052 | ▼ 3.8% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Craighead County | 116,957 | ▲ 6.4% | 236 MW | — | — | — |
| Dunklin County MO | 26,855 | ▲ 1.8% | 559 MW | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County | 16,273 | ▲ 5.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Randolph County | 18,876 | ▲ 9.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Greene County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Greene County, Arkansas?
4 utilities have service territory in Greene County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Craighead Electric Coop Corp, Paragould Municipal Utilities, Clay County Electric Coop Corp - (AR). The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Paragould, AR in?
Paragould is in Greene County, Arkansas. About 31,135 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Greene County?
3 operating plants with 35 MW of capacity. The largest is Paragould Reciprocating (19 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Greene County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Greene County.
Is Greene County adding jobs?
Employers counted 15,401 jobs in 2025 against 15,607 in 2019 (-1.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 349 to 530.
Does Greene County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Greene County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.