Douglas County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lawrence, Eudora Township and Palmyra Township
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Douglas County. Douglas County is home to Lawrence, Eudora Township, Palmyra Township and Eudora. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “City of Lawrence (Douglas County) data center moratorium”. Construction employs 2,268, up 26.9% since 2019. Owners plan to retire 517 MW more by 2035, led by Lawrence Energy Center in 2032. Unemployment was 4.3% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Douglas County
Douglas County is home to Lawrence, Eudora Township, Palmyra Township and Eudora.
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 Douglas County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 118,781 | 120,920 | ▲ 1.8% | 5th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 49,641 | 50,796 | ▲ 2.3% | 38th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,906 | $55,604 | ▲ 35.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,787 | 2,268 | ▲ 26.9% | 23rd of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.3% | ▲ 1.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Its power plants have 540 MW of capacity, 96% of it coal. Employers here counted 50,796 jobs in 2025, up 2.3% from 2019. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Douglas 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. 120,920 people live here, up 1.8% since 2020, 5th of 105 Kansas counties by population.
Who powers Douglas County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +6 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Douglas 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 Metro | Investor Owned | Bundled | 244,555 | 13.13¢ | 51% |
| FreeState Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,514 | 16.41¢ | 13% |
| City of Baldwin City- (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Eudora - (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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 517 MW | 96% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 2% |
| Hydro | 7 MW | 1% |
| Natural gas | 6 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Energy Center | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Coal | 517 MW | 1960 |
| Baldwin City Plant No 2 | City of Baldwin City- (KS) | Petroleum | 11 MW | 2004 |
| Kansas River Project | Bowersock Mills & Power Co | Hydro | 7 MW | 1920 |
| Baldwin City Plant No 1 | City of Baldwin City- (KS) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1964 |
| FreeState Stull Solar I | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Solar | 1 MW | 2023 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Energy Center | Coal | 517 MW | 2032 |
The Douglas County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 50,796 | $55,604 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,268 | $74,842 | 0.84 |
| Data processing and hosting | 140 | $100,102 | 0.89 |
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 Douglas County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Lawrence (Douglas County) data center moratorium | In force | 2026-07 |
Douglas County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Douglas County, Johnson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 120,920 | ▲ 2.3% | 540 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Franklin County | 26,299 | ▲ 8.7% | 19 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Jefferson County | 18,296 | ▲ 3.5% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Johnson County | 636,906 | ▲ 5.3% | 447 MW | — | 14 | — |
| Leavenworth County | 84,590 | ▲ 3.9% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Miami County | 36,240 | ▲ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Osage County | 15,693 | ▲ 4.1% | 21 MW | — | — | — |
| Shawnee County | 178,607 | ▲ 6.3% | 8 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
More of Kansas
Douglas County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Douglas County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Douglas County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Evergy Metro, FreeState Electric Coop, City of Baldwin City- (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Lawrence, KS in?
Lawrence is in Douglas County, Kansas. About 96,367 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Douglas County?
5 operating plants with 540 MW of capacity. The largest is Lawrence Energy Center (517 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Douglas County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Douglas County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Johnson County.
Is Douglas County adding jobs?
Employers counted 50,796 jobs in 2025 against 49,641 in 2019 (+2.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,787 to 2,268.
Does Douglas County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Douglas County, 1 in force.