# Bent County, Colorado: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Las Animas No data center or power plant project is on record in Bent County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Bent County is home to Las Animas. 2 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Clay Creek Energy, LLC (solar). Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. Next door, Kiowa County has 300 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 1,172 jobs in 2025, up 4.5% from 2019. 2 MW of new generation planned here, solar leading +4.5% total jobs since 2019, now 1,172 81 MW of operating power plants, mostly wind ## Cities and towns in Bent County Bent County is home to Las Animas. Las Animas2,325 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Hasty, McClave. 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 Bent County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Colorado | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,472 | 5,716 | ▲ 4.5% | 48th of 64 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,121 | 1,172 | ▲ 4.5% | 34th of 64 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $36,771 | $48,145 | ▲ 30.9% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 5.3% | ▲ 2.1pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | | Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 2 MW | 2% of today's fleet | 18th of 18 by size | Its power plants have 81 MW of capacity, 93% of it wind. Public Service Co of Colorado is the largest utility serving Bent County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 15.05¢/kWh in 2024. 5,716 people live here, up 4.5% since 2020. ## Who powers Bent County ### Utilities with service territory in Bent County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Public Service Co of Colorado | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,365,053 | 15.05¢ | 44% | | Southeast Colorado Power Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 8,148 | 17.22¢ | 55% | | City of Lamar - (CO) | — | — | — | — | — | | City of Las Animas - (CO) | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Wind | 75 MW | 93% | | Petroleum | 6 MW | 7% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Twin Buttes Wind Project | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 75 MW | 2007 | | Las Animas | City of Las Animas - (CO) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 1941 | ### Planned generation | Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Fort Lyon Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 2 MW | Approvals pending | 2027 | Clay Creek Energy, LLC | ## The Bent County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 1,172 | $48,145 | 1.00 | 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 Bent County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Bent County. Colorado has 25 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: [Kiowa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/kiowa-county). ## Bent County and its neighbors Of the 5 counties that border Bent County, Kiowa 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Bent County | 5,716 | ▲ 4.5% | 81 MW | 2 MW | — | — | | Baca County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/baca-county) | 3,347 | ▲ 4.7% | 8 MW | — | — | — | | Kiowa County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/kiowa-county) | 1,412 | ▲ 0.2% | — | 300 MW | — | 1 | | Las Animas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/las-animas-county) | 14,391 | ▼ 7.6% | 179 MW | 202 MW | — | — | | Otero County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/otero-county) | 17,683 | ▼ 2.2% | 12 MW | 5 MW | — | — | | Prowers County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/prowers-county) | 11,884 | ▲ 2.8% | 248 MW | 5 MW | — | — | ## More of Colorado [All Colorado countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado)[Otero County17,683 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/otero-county)[Las Animas County14,391 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/las-animas-county)[Prowers County11,884 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/prowers-county)[Baca County3,347 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/baca-county)[Kiowa County1,412 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/kiowa-county) ## Bent County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Bent County, Colorado? 4 utilities have service territory in Bent County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Public Service Co of Colorado, Southeast Colorado Power Assn, City of Lamar - (CO), City of Las Animas - (CO). The largest, Public Service Co of Colorado, charged residential customers 15.05¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What power plants are in Bent County? 2 operating plants with 81 MW of capacity. The largest is Twin Buttes Wind Project (75 MW, wind). ### How much new power is planned in Bent County? 2 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Clay Creek Energy, LLC. ### Are there data centers in Bent County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Bent County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kiowa County. ### Is Bent County adding jobs? Employers counted 1,172 jobs in 2025 against 1,121 in 2019 (+4.5%, BLS QCEW). ### Does Bent County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Bent County. Colorado has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/colorado/bent-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).