Madison County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Huntsville
Madison County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Electrical contractors employ 67, up 139.3% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $58,546 a year. Madison County is home to Huntsville. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Three-year moratorium on data centers and digital asset mining”. Employers here counted 3,619 jobs in 2025, up 6.7% from 2019. 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Madison County
Madison County is home to Huntsville.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Kingston, Wesley.
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 Madison County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 16,555 | 18,410 | ▲ 11.2% | 38th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,391 | 3,619 | ▲ 6.7% | 17th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,772 | $46,422 | ▲ 29.8% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 28 | 67 | ▲ 139.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 2.8% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
18,410 people live here, up 11.2% since 2020. Its power plants have 5 MW of capacity, 100% of it solar. Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR) is the largest utility serving Madison County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.25¢/kWh in 2024. Unemployment was 2.8% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019.
Who powers Madison County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Madison County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR) | Cooperative | Bundled | 101,154 | 12.25¢ | 21% |
| Ozarks Electric Coop Corp - (AR) | Cooperative | Bundled | 72,076 | 13.03¢ | 25% |
| Arkansas Valley Elec Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 54,372 | 13.33¢ | 16% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 5 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindsville | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 5 MW | 2025 |
The Madison County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,619 | $46,422 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 67 | $58,546 | 2.57 |
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 Madison County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-year moratorium on data centers and digital asset mining | In force | 2026-08 |
Madison County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Madison County, Carroll 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 18,410 | ▲ 6.7% | 5 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Benton County | 332,554 | ▲ 23.0% | 561 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Carroll County | 29,263 | ▼ 1.2% | 114 MW | 183 MW | — | 1 |
| Crawford County | 62,657 | ▼ 9.3% | 34 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County | 17,725 | ▲ 2.5% | 362 MW | 69 MW | — | — |
| Johnson County | 26,225 | ▼ 6.8% | 17 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Newton County | 7,026 | ▼ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Washington County | 271,213 | ▲ 11.2% | 454 MW | — | 1 | — |
More of Arkansas
Madison County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Madison County, Arkansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Madison County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR), Ozarks Electric Coop Corp - (AR), Arkansas Valley Elec Coop Corp. The largest, Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR), charged residential customers 12.25¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Madison County?
1 operating plant with 5 MW of capacity. The largest is Hindsville (5 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Madison County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Madison County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Johnson County.
Is Madison County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,619 jobs in 2025 against 3,391 in 2019 (+6.7%, BLS QCEW).
Does Madison County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Madison County, 1 in force.