Decatur County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Oberlin
No data center or power plant project is on record in Decatur County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Decatur County is home to Oberlin. Employers here counted 843 jobs in 2025, down 10.5% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. 7 MW has retired here since 2019, including Oberlin (KS) (petroleum, 7 MW, 2024). 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.
Cities and towns in Decatur County
Decatur County is home to Oberlin.
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 Decatur County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,762 | 2,716 | ▼ 1.7% | 84th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 942 | 843 | ▼ 10.5% | 96th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $29,203 | $40,229 | ▲ 37.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.8% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 7 MW | — |
Its power plants have 6 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) is the largest utility serving Decatur County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.44¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 2,716 people live here, down 1.7% since 2020.
Who powers Decatur County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Decatur County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,832 | 11.44¢ | 25% |
| Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,273 | 14.29¢ | 28% |
| City of Oberlin - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 6 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin (KS) | City of Oberlin - (KS) | Petroleum | 6 MW | 2024 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin (KS) | Petroleum | 7 MW | 2024 |
The Decatur County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 843 | $40,229 | 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 Decatur County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Decatur County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Furnas County.
Decatur County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Decatur County, Thomas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur County | 2,716 | ▼ 10.5% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Furnas County NE | 4,524 | ▼ 8.3% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Norton County | 5,288 | ▼ 0.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Rawlins County | 2,431 | ▲ 5.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Red Willow County NE | 10,307 | ▼ 2.4% | 57 MW | — | — | — |
| Sheridan County | 2,427 | ▲ 1.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Thomas County | 7,725 | ▼ 0.4% | 509 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Decatur County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Decatur County, Kansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Decatur County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc, City of Oberlin - (KS). The largest, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), charged residential customers 11.44¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Decatur County?
1 operating plant with 6 MW of capacity. The largest is Oberlin (KS) (6 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Decatur County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Decatur County.
Is Decatur County adding jobs?
Employers counted 843 jobs in 2025 against 942 in 2019 (-10.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Decatur County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Decatur County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.