Ouachita County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Camden
Ouachita 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. Ouachita County is home to Camden, East Camden, Stephens and Bearden. Construction employs 268, up 19.1% since 2019. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Unemployment was 4.5% in August 2026, against 5.4% in 2019. Its power plants have 144 MW of capacity, 94% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Ouachita County
Ouachita County is home to Camden, East Camden, Stephens and Bearden.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Reader.
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 Ouachita County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 22,620 | 21,731 | ▼ 3.9% | 29th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,788 | 6,807 | ▲ 0.3% | 30th of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,871 | $50,006 | ▲ 39.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 225 | 268 | ▲ 19.1% | 16th of 35 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.4% | 4.5% | ▼ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Ouachita 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. Employers here counted 6,807 jobs in 2025, up 0.3% from 2019. 21,731 people live here, down 3.9% since 2020.
Who powers Ouachita County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +8 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ouachita 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% |
| Ouachita Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 8,391 | 13.19¢ | 10% |
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 | 136 MW | 94% |
| Battery storage | 5 MW | 3% |
| Solar | 3 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McClellan (AR) | Arkansas Electric Coop Corp | Natural gas | 136 MW | 1972 |
| General Dynamics | Today's Power, Inc. | Battery storage | 7 MW | 2020 |
| SAU Tech | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2019 |
The Ouachita County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,807 | $50,006 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 268 | $55,833 | 0.74 |
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 Ouachita County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ouachita County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Union County.
Ouachita County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ouachita County, Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita County | 21,731 | ▲ 0.3% | 144 MW | — | — | — |
| Calhoun County | 4,632 | ▲ 9.7% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
| Clark County | 20,938 | ▼ 6.3% | 76 MW | — | — | — |
| Columbia County | 21,894 | ▼ 1.7% | — | 100 MW | — | — |
| Dallas County | 6,011 | ▼ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Nevada County | 7,942 | ▼ 21.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Union County | 36,926 | ▼ 6.6% | 2,430 MW | — | — | 1 |
More of Arkansas
Ouachita County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ouachita County, Arkansas?
2 utilities have service territory in Ouachita County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Ouachita Electric Coop Corp. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Camden, AR in?
Camden is in Ouachita County, Arkansas. About 10,127 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Ouachita County?
3 operating plants with 144 MW of capacity. The largest is McClellan (AR) (136 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Ouachita County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ouachita County.
Is Ouachita County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,807 jobs in 2025 against 6,788 in 2019 (+0.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 225 to 268.
Does Ouachita County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ouachita County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.