Saline County, Arkansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Benton, Bryant and Shannon Hills
Saline 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. Saline County is home to Benton, Bryant, Shannon Hills and Haskell. Construction employs 2,628, up 24.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Employers here counted 28,549 jobs in 2025, up 15.4% from 2019 (the 3rd fastest growth of 75 Arkansas counties). Next door, Hot Spring County has 467 MW of planned generation. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including FECC Solar Benton (solar, 1 MW, 2024).
Cities and towns in Saline County
Saline County is home to Benton, Bryant, Shannon Hills and Haskell.
- Alexander also extends into Pulaski County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Avilla, East End, Hot Springs Village, Salem, Sardis.
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 Saline County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Arkansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 123,830 | 133,288 | ▲ 7.6% | 5th of 75 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,731 | 28,549 | ▲ 15.4% | 3rd of 75 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,121 | $48,565 | ▲ 30.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,108 | 2,628 | ▲ 24.7% | 13th of 35 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 544 | 572 | ▲ 5.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 56 | 129 | ▲ 130.4% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4 | 3 | ▼ 25.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 3.1% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 572, up 5.1% since 2019 against up 29.6% statewide, at an average $68,089 a year. Entergy Arkansas LLC is the largest utility serving Saline 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. 133,288 people live here, up 7.6% since 2020, 5th of 75 Arkansas counties by population. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019.
Who powers Saline County
Utilities with service territory in Saline 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% |
| First Electric Coop Corp | Cooperative | Bundled | 95,175 | 12.27¢ | 11% |
| City of Benton - (AR) | Municipal | Bundled | 12,972 | 10.30¢ | 31% |
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 Saline County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| FECC Solar Benton | Solar | 1 MW | 2024 |
The Saline County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 28,549 | $48,565 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,628 | $62,396 | 1.74 |
| Electrical contractors | 572 | $68,089 | 2.78 |
| Power and communication line construction | 129 | $63,192 | 2.80 |
| Data processing and hosting | 3 | $112,397 | 0.03 |
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 Saline County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Saline County. Arkansas has 13 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Pulaski County.
Saline County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Saline 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County | 133,288 | ▲ 15.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Garland County | 99,695 | ▲ 2.0% | 132 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 18,756 | ▲ 8.6% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| Hot Spring County | 33,451 | ▼ 7.2% | 2,022 MW | 467 MW | — | — |
| Perry County | 10,309 | ▼ 3.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Pulaski County | 404,611 | ▲ 4.3% | 664 MW | 5 MW | 2 | 2 |
More of Arkansas
Saline County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Saline County, Arkansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Saline County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Entergy Arkansas LLC, First Electric Coop Corp, City of Benton - (AR). The largest, Entergy Arkansas LLC, charged residential customers 12.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Benton, AR in?
Benton is in Saline County, Arkansas. About 38,898 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Bryant, AR in?
Bryant is in Saline County, Arkansas. About 22,815 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
Are there data centers in Saline County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Saline County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Hot Spring County.
Is Saline County adding jobs?
Employers counted 28,549 jobs in 2025 against 24,731 in 2019 (+15.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,108 to 2,628.
Does Saline County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Saline County. Arkansas has 13 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.