Hempstead County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Hope
The data center boom is not abstract in Hempstead County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Hempstead County, 8% of Arkansas's total. Hempstead County is home to Hope. Its power plants have 764 MW of capacity, 80% of it coal, the 7th largest fleet in Arkansas. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Hempstead County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.97¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.11¢ median for Arkansas utilities. Unemployment was 4.5% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Hempstead County
Hempstead County is home to Hope.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Saratoga.
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 Hempstead County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 19,993 | 19,080 | ▼ 4.6% | 35th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,783 | 7,764 | ▼ 0.2% | 32nd of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,825 | $46,877 | ▲ 27.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 133 | 99 | ▼ 25.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 4.5% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 7,764 jobs in 2025, down 0.2% from 2019. 19,080 people live here, down 4.6% since 2020.
Who powers Hempstead County
Utilities with service territory in Hempstead 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% |
| Southwestern Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 108,102 | 11.53¢ | 37% |
| Southwest Arkansas E C C | Cooperative | Bundled | 24,879 | 12.96¢ | 20% |
| South Central Ark El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,410 | 14.70¢ | 12% |
| City of Hope - (AR) | Municipal | Bundled | 5,782 | 11.69¢ | 51% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 609 MW | 80% |
| Natural gas | 155 MW | 20% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John W Turk Jr Power Plant | Southwestern Electric Power Co | Coal | 609 MW | 2012 |
| Fulton (AR) | Arkansas Electric Coop Corp | Natural gas | 155 MW | 2001 |
The Hempstead County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 7,764 | $46,877 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 99 | $51,493 | 0.24 |
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 Hempstead County
1 data center in Hempstead County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Hempstead County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Hempstead County, Little River 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstead County | 19,080 | ▼ 0.2% | 764 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Howard County | 12,306 | ▼ 13.8% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Lafayette County | 5,888 | ▼ 9.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Little River County | 11,763 | ▼ 11.7% | 156 MW | — | — | — |
| Miller County | 42,357 | ▼ 8.5% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Nevada County | 7,942 | ▼ 21.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Pike County | 9,964 | ▼ 6.5% | 26 MW | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Hempstead County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Hempstead County, Arkansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Hempstead County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Southwestern Electric Power Co, Southwest Arkansas E C C, South Central Ark El Coop, Inc. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Hempstead County?
2 operating plants with 764 MW of capacity. The largest is John W Turk Jr Power Plant (609 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Hempstead County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Hempstead County.
Is Hempstead County adding jobs?
Employers counted 7,764 jobs in 2025 against 7,783 in 2019 (-0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 133 to 99.
Does Hempstead County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Hempstead County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.