Pope County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Russellville, Pottsville and Atkins
Pope County hosts some of the generating capacity Arkansas runs on. Pope County is home to Russellville, Pottsville, Atkins and Dover. Next door, Johnson County has 4 data centers. Construction employs 1,292, up 14.1% since 2019. Its power plants have 2,006 MW of capacity, 92% of it nuclear, the 4th largest fleet in Arkansas. Employers here counted 26,837 jobs in 2025, up 3.6% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Pope County
Pope County is home to Russellville, Pottsville, Atkins and Dover.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Appleton, Oak Grove.
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 Pope County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 63,414 | 64,976 | ▲ 2.5% | 11th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25,904 | 26,837 | ▲ 3.6% | 23rd of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,733 | $51,790 | ▲ 21.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,132 | 1,292 | ▲ 14.1% | 23rd of 35 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 189 | 184 | ▼ 2.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.4% | 4.7% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 184, down 2.6% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $75,201 a year. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Pope 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. Unemployment was 4.7% in August 2026, against 4.4% in 2019. 64,976 people live here, up 2.5% since 2020.
Who powers Pope County
Utilities with service territory in Pope 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% |
| Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR) | Cooperative | Bundled | 101,154 | 12.25¢ | 21% |
| Arkansas Valley Elec Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 54,372 | 13.33¢ | 16% |
| Petit Jean Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,776 | 15.62¢ | 23% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 1,845 MW | 92% |
| Hydro | 161 MW | 8% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Nuclear One | Entergy Arkansas LLC | Nuclear | 1,845 MW | 1974 |
| Dardanelle | USCE-Little Rock District | Hydro | 161 MW | 1965 |
The Pope County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 26,837 | $51,790 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,292 | $70,706 | 0.91 |
| Electrical contractors | 184 | $75,201 | 0.95 |
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 Pope County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pope County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide.
Pope County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Pope County, Johnson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County | 64,976 | ▲ 3.6% | 2,006 MW | — | — | — |
| Conway County | 21,393 | ▼ 2.8% | 32 MW | — | — | — |
| Johnson County | 26,225 | ▼ 6.8% | 17 MW | — | 4 | — |
| Logan County | 21,633 | ▼ 1.2% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Newton County | 7,026 | ▼ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Searcy County | 7,848 | ▼ 2.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Van Buren County | 16,238 | ▲ 8.6% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Yell County | 19,956 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Arkansas
Pope County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pope County, Arkansas?
4 utilities have service territory in Pope County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR), Arkansas Valley Elec Coop Corp, Petit Jean Electric Coop Corp. The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Russellville, AR in?
Russellville is in Pope County, Arkansas. About 29,521 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Pope County?
2 operating plants with 2,006 MW of capacity. The largest is Arkansas Nuclear One (1,845 MW, nuclear).
Are there data centers in Pope County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pope County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Johnson County.
Is Pope County adding jobs?
Employers counted 26,837 jobs in 2025 against 25,904 in 2019 (+3.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,132 to 1,292.
Does Pope County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pope County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.