Montgomery County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mount Ida
Montgomery 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. Montgomery County is home to Mount Ida. Next door, Hot Spring County has 467 MW of planned generation. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Montgomery 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. Employers here counted 1,283 jobs in 2025, up 0.7% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 4.3% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Montgomery County
Montgomery County is home to Mount Ida.
- Glenwood also extends into Pike County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Caddo Gap, Pencil Bluff.
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 Montgomery County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,482 | 8,579 | ▲ 1.1% | 64th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,274 | 1,283 | ▲ 0.7% | 29th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $28,448 | $37,768 | ▲ 32.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 69 | 75 | ▲ 8.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.3% | 4.2% | ▼ 0.1pts | — |
8,579 people live here, up 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Montgomery County
Utilities with service territory in Montgomery 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% |
| South Central Ark El Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,410 | 14.70¢ | 12% |
| Rich Mountain Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
No operating power plant is located in Montgomery County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Montgomery County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,283 | $37,768 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 75 | $42,418 | 1.10 |
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 Montgomery County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Montgomery County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Montgomery County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Montgomery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 8,579 | ▲ 0.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Clark County | 20,938 | ▼ 6.3% | 76 MW | — | — | — |
| Garland County | 99,695 | ▲ 2.0% | 132 MW | — | — | — |
| Hot Spring County | 33,451 | ▼ 7.2% | 2,022 MW | 467 MW | — | — |
| Howard County | 12,306 | ▼ 13.8% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Pike County | 9,964 | ▼ 6.5% | 26 MW | — | — | — |
| Polk County | 19,486 | ▼ 2.3% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 9,965 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Yell County | 19,956 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Montgomery County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Montgomery County, Arkansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Montgomery County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, South Central Ark El Coop, Inc, Rich Mountain Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Montgomery County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Montgomery County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hot Spring County.
Is Montgomery County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,283 jobs in 2025 against 1,274 in 2019 (+0.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 69 to 75.
Does Montgomery County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Montgomery County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.