Elk County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Elk 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. Elk County is home to Howard Township and Howard. Employers here counted 628 jobs in 2025, up 8.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.2% in August 2026, against 4.5% in 2019. Its power plants have 200 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Elk County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities.
Cities and towns in Elk County
Elk County is home to Howard Township and Howard.
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 Elk County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,480 | 2,458 | ▼ 0.9% | 93rd of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 581 | 628 | ▲ 8.1% | 12th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $24,581 | $37,601 | ▲ 53.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.5% | 5.2% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
2,458 people live here, down 0.9% since 2020.
Who powers Elk County
Utilities with service territory in Elk 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% |
| Caney Valley El Coop Assn, 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 200 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caney River Wind Project | Caney River Wind Project | Wind | 200 MW | 2012 |
The Elk County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 628 | $37,601 | 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 Elk County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Elk County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide.
Elk County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Elk County, Wilson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County | 2,458 | ▲ 8.1% | 200 MW | — | — | — |
| Butler County | 69,484 | ▲ 4.3% | 223 MW | — | — | — |
| Chautauqua County | 3,321 | ▼ 1.2% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Cowley County | 34,382 | ▼ 3.3% | 41 MW | — | — | — |
| Greenwood County | 5,826 | ▼ 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 30,177 | ▼ 2.2% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| Wilson County | 8,299 | ▼ 19.5% | 6 MW | 65 MW | — | — |
More of Kansas
Elk County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Elk County, Kansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Elk County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, Caney Valley El Coop Assn, Inc. The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Elk County?
1 operating plant with 200 MW of capacity. The largest is Caney River Wind Project (200 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Elk County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Elk County.
Is Elk County adding jobs?
Employers counted 628 jobs in 2025 against 581 in 2019 (+8.1%, BLS QCEW).
Does Elk County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Elk County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.