Crawford County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Pittsburg, Washington Township and Baker Township
The build-out shows up in Crawford County as work for the electrical trades. Electrical contractors employ 253, up 912.0% since 2019 against up 23.4% statewide, at an average $71,372 a year. Construction employs 842, up 101.9% since 2019. Crawford County is home to Pittsburg, Washington Township, Baker Township and Frontenac. Next door, Jasper County, Missouri, has 1 data center. 198 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind.
Cities and towns in Crawford County
Crawford County is home to Pittsburg, Washington Township, Baker Township and Frontenac.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Chicopee, Croweburg, Farlington, Franklin, Opolis, Radley, Ringo, Yale.
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 Crawford County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 38,955 | 39,008 | ▲ 0.1% | 11th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17,113 | 17,084 | ▼ 0.2% | 53rd of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $35,989 | $47,779 | ▲ 32.8% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 417 | 842 | ▲ 101.9% | 4th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 25 | 253 | ▲ 912.0% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 69 | 75 | ▲ 8.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.7% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 198 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 4.7% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Its power plants have 213 MW of capacity, 93% of it wind. Evergy Kansas South, Inc is the largest utility serving Crawford County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.25¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 17,084 jobs in 2025, down 0.2% from 2019. 39,008 people live here, up 0.1% since 2020.
Who powers Crawford County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +198 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Crawford 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% |
| City of Arcadia - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Arma - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Girard - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Mulberry - (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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 197 MW | 93% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 4% |
| Other technologies | 4 MW | 2% |
| Natural gas | 2 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayhawk Wind Energy Center | Invenergy Services LLC | Wind | 197 MW | 2022 |
| Girard | City of Girard - (KS) | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1955 |
| Oak Grove Power Producers | Cube District Energy, LLC | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2010 |
| Greenbush-Heartland | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Crawford County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 17,084 | $47,779 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 842 | $62,302 | 0.93 |
| Electrical contractors | 253 | $71,372 | 2.05 |
| Power and communication line construction | 75 | $59,370 | 2.72 |
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 Crawford County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Crawford County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Bourbon County.
Crawford County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Crawford County, Jasper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County | 39,008 | ▼ 0.2% | 213 MW | — | — | — |
| Barton County MO | 11,795 | ▲ 8.3% | 149 MW | — | — | — |
| Bourbon County | 14,319 | ▼ 8.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Cherokee County | 19,105 | ▲ 0.1% | 268 MW | 27 MW | — | — |
| Jasper County MO | 127,428 | ▼ 2.5% | 1,114 MW | 109 MW | 1 | — |
| Labette County | 19,685 | ▼ 4.3% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Neosho County | 15,637 | ▲ 2.0% | 431 MW | 7 MW | — | — |
| Vernon County MO | 19,946 | ▲ 3.3% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Crawford County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Crawford County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Crawford County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas South, Inc, City of Arcadia - (KS), City of Arma - (KS), City of Girard - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, charged residential customers 14.25¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Pittsburg, KS in?
Pittsburg is in Crawford County, Kansas. About 20,569 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Crawford County?
4 operating plants with 213 MW of capacity. The largest is Jayhawk Wind Energy Center (197 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Crawford County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Crawford County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jasper County.
Is Crawford County adding jobs?
Employers counted 17,084 jobs in 2025 against 17,113 in 2019 (-0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 417 to 842.
Does Crawford County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Crawford County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.