Coffey County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Burlington and Lincoln Township
Coffey County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Coffey County is home to Burlington, Lincoln Township, Rock Creek Township and Lebo. Its power plants have 1,527 MW of capacity, 85% of it nuclear, the 3rd largest fleet in Kansas. Construction employs 144, up 8.3% since 2019. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Burlington (KS) (natural gas, 1 MW, 2022). Employers here counted 3,448 jobs in 2025, down 5.2% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Coffey County
Coffey County is home to Burlington, Lincoln Township, Rock Creek Township and Lebo.
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 Coffey County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,358 | 8,467 | ▲ 1.3% | 45th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,638 | 3,448 | ▼ 5.2% | 83rd of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $61,732 | $72,751 | ▲ 17.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 133 | 144 | ▲ 8.3% | 33rd of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 5.3% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Coffey County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 8,467 people live here, up 1.3% since 2020.
Who powers Coffey County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Coffey 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% |
| Evergy Metro | Investor Owned | Bundled | 244,555 | 13.13¢ | 51% |
| City of Burlington - (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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 1,296 MW | 85% |
| Wind | 199 MW | 13% |
| Petroleum | 27 MW | 2% |
| Natural gas | 5 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Creek Generating Station | Wolf Creek Nuclear Optg Corp | Nuclear | 1,296 MW | 1985 |
| Waverly Wind Farm LLC | Waverly Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 199 MW | 2016 |
| Sharpe | Kansas Electric Power Coop Inc | Petroleum | 20 MW | 2002 |
| Burlington (KS) | City of Burlington - (KS) | Petroleum | 10 MW | 1962 |
| Wolf Creek Generator | 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative, Inc. | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2014 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington (KS) | Natural gas | 1 MW | 2022 |
The Coffey County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,448 | $72,751 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 144 | $71,244 | 0.79 |
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 Coffey County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Coffey County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Franklin County, Lyon County.
Coffey County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Coffey County, Lyon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffey County | 8,467 | ▼ 5.2% | 1,527 MW | — | — | — |
| Allen County | 12,302 | ▼ 2.8% | 229 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Anderson County | 8,018 | ▲ 15.0% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County | 26,299 | ▲ 8.7% | 19 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Greenwood County | 5,826 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Lyon County | 32,266 | ▼ 3.3% | 932 MW | — | — | 2 |
| Osage County | 15,693 | ▲ 4.1% | 21 MW | — | — | — |
| Woodson County | 3,118 | ▼ 9.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Coffey County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Coffey County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Coffey County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, Evergy Metro, City of Burlington - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Coffey County?
5 operating plants with 1,527 MW of capacity. The largest is Wolf Creek Generating Station (1,296 MW, nuclear).
Are there data centers in Coffey County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Coffey County.
Is Coffey County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,448 jobs in 2025 against 3,638 in 2019 (-5.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 133 to 144.
Does Coffey County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Coffey County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.