Butler County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bruno Township, Andover and El Dorado
Butler 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. Butler County is home to Bruno Township, Andover, El Dorado and Augusta. Next door, Sumner County has 765 MW of planned generation. Construction employs 1,346, up 4.3% since 2019. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. 1 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar.
Cities and towns in Butler County
Butler County is home to Bruno Township, Andover, El Dorado and Augusta.
And 16 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Beaumont, Rosalia.
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 Butler County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 67,388 | 69,484 | ▲ 3.1% | 8th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,142 | 19,973 | ▲ 4.3% | 22nd of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,968 | $51,558 | ▲ 29.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,291 | 1,346 | ▲ 4.3% | 34th of 51 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 79 | 75 | ▼ 5.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 19,973 jobs in 2025, up 4.3% from 2019. Its power plants have 223 MW of capacity, 67% of it wind. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Butler County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 69,484 people live here, up 3.1% since 2020, 8th of 105 Kansas counties by population.
Who powers Butler County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Butler County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 341,806 | 14.29¢ | 44% |
| Evergy Kansas South, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 302,508 | 14.25¢ | 32% |
| City of Augusta - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Butler Rural El Coop Assn, Inc - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Caney Valley El Coop Assn, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sumner-Cowley 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 6
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 150 MW | 67% |
| Natural gas | 68 MW | 31% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk River Wind | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 150 MW | 2005 |
| El Dorado Refinery | Frontier El Dorado Refinery LLC | Natural gas | 39 MW | 1996 |
| Augusta Electric Plant No 2 | City of Augusta - (KS) | Natural gas | 21 MW | 1968 |
| Augusta Electric Plant No 1 | City of Augusta - (KS) | Natural gas | 12 MW | 1929 |
| DeGraff Butler Electric | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2021 |
| Prairie Sky Solar Farm | Kansas Electric Power Coop Inc | Solar | 1 MW | 2017 |
The Butler County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 19,973 | $51,558 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,346 | $65,301 | 1.27 |
| Electric utilities | 75 | $112,011 | 1.39 |
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 Butler County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Butler County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Harvey County, Sedgwick County.
Butler County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Butler County, Sumner 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 69,484 | ▲ 4.3% | 223 MW | — | — | — |
| Chase County | 2,572 | ▼ 21.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Cowley County | 34,382 | ▼ 3.3% | 41 MW | — | — | — |
| Elk County | 2,458 | ▲ 8.1% | 200 MW | — | — | — |
| Greenwood County | 5,826 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Harvey County | 33,580 | ▲ 0.2% | 1 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Marion County | 11,634 | ▲ 1.0% | 500 MW | — | — | — |
| Sedgwick County | 538,433 | ▲ 3.4% | 389 MW | — | 1 | 1 |
| Sumner County | 22,312 | ▼ 6.0% | 506 MW | 765 MW | — | — |
More of Kansas
Butler County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Butler County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Butler County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, City of Augusta - (KS), Butler Rural El Coop Assn, Inc - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Bruno Township, KS in?
Bruno Township is in Butler County, Kansas. About 19,221 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Andover, KS in?
Andover is in Butler County, Kansas. About 17,370 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is El Dorado, KS in?
El Dorado is in Butler County, Kansas. About 12,696 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Butler County?
6 operating plants with 223 MW of capacity. The largest is Elk River Wind (150 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Butler County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Butler County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Sumner County.
Is Butler County adding jobs?
Employers counted 19,973 jobs in 2025 against 19,142 in 2019 (+4.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,291 to 1,346.
Does Butler County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Butler County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.