# Anderson County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Garnett

Anderson 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. Anderson County is home to Garnett, Walker Township, Ozark Township and Jackson Township. Employers here counted 2,447 jobs in 2025, up 15.0% from 2019 (the 6th fastest growth of 105 Kansas counties). Construction employs 122, down 4.7% since 2019. Its power plants have 14 MW of capacity, 85% of it petroleum. Unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, against 4.0% in 2019.

+15.0%
total jobs since 2019, now 2,447

14 MW
of operating power plants, mostly petroleum

14.25¢
per kWh for Evergy Kansas South, Inc residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Anderson County

Anderson County is home to Garnett, Walker Township, Ozark Township and Jackson Township.

Garnett3,242 residents
Walker Township668 residents
Ozark Township562 residents
Jackson Township507 residents
Reeder Township467 residents
Monroe Township390 residents
Colony387 residents
Westphalia Township370 residents
Rich Township353 residents
Washington Township320 residents
Welda Township303 residents
Putnam Township296 residents
Greeley281 residents
Lone Elm Township232 residents
Lincoln Township177 residents
Westphalia135 residents
Indian Creek Township131 residents
Kincaid109 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Harris, Mont Ida, Welda.

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 Anderson County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 7,841 | 8,018 | ▲ 2.3% | 47th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,127 | 2,447 | ▲ 15.0% | 6th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $34,063 | $47,917 | ▲ 40.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 128 | 122 | ▼ 4.7% | 41st of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.0% | 4.6% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Evergy Kansas South, Inc is the largest utility serving Anderson County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.25¢/kWh in 2024. 8,018 people live here, up 2.3% since 2020.

## Who powers Anderson County

### Utilities with service territory in Anderson County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Kansas South, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 302,508 | 14.25¢ | 32% |
| Evergy Metro | Investor Owned | Bundled | 244,555 | 13.13¢ | 51% |
| City of Garnett - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Heartland Rural 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.

### Operating power plants 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 85% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 15% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garnett Municipal | City of Garnett - (KS) | Petroleum | 12 MW | 1930 |
| East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC | East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2005 |

## The Anderson County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,447 | $47,917 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 122 | $48,407 | 0.94 |

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 Anderson County

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Anderson County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: [Bourbon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/bourbon-county), [Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/franklin-county), [Miami County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/miami-county).

## Anderson County and its neighbors

Of the 7 counties that border Anderson County, Linn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County | 8,018 | ▲ 15.0% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Allen County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/allen-county) | 12,302 | ▼ 2.8% | 229 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Bourbon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/bourbon-county) | 14,319 | ▼ 8.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Coffey County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/coffey-county) | 8,467 | ▼ 5.2% | 1,527 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/franklin-county) | 26,299 | ▲ 8.7% | 19 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Linn County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/linn-county) | 9,950 | ▲ 7.6% | 1,599 MW | — | — | — |
| Miami County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/miami-county) | 36,240 | ▲ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Woodson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/woodson-county) | 3,118 | ▼ 9.2% | — | — | — | — |

## More of Kansas

[All Kansas countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas)[Miami County36,240 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/miami-county)[Franklin County26,299 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/franklin-county)[Bourbon County14,319 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/bourbon-county)[Allen County12,302 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/allen-county)[Linn County9,950 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/linn-county)

## Anderson County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Anderson County, Kansas?

4 utilities have service territory in Anderson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas South, Inc, Evergy Metro, City of Garnett - (KS), Heartland Rural Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, charged residential customers 14.25¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Anderson County?

2 operating plants with 14 MW of capacity. The largest is Garnett Municipal (12 MW, petroleum).

### Are there data centers in Anderson County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Anderson County.

### Is Anderson County adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,447 jobs in 2025 against 2,127 in 2019 (+15.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 128 to 122.

### Does Anderson County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Anderson County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/anderson-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/).
