Finney County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Garden City, Garden City Township and Sherlock Township
Finney 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. Finney County is home to Garden City, Garden City Township, Sherlock Township and Holcomb. Construction employs 919, down 8.8% since 2019. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Its power plants have 635 MW of capacity, 55% of it coal, the 8th largest fleet in Kansas. Employers here counted 20,620 jobs in 2025, up 5.1% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Finney County
Finney County is home to Garden City, Garden City Township, Sherlock Township and Holcomb.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Pierceville.
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 Finney County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 38,307 | 37,505 | ▼ 2.1% | 12th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,615 | 20,620 | ▲ 5.1% | 20th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,283 | $52,175 | ▲ 26.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,008 | 919 | ▼ 8.8% | 44th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.6% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Electrical contractors employ 111, at an average $68,374 a year. Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Finney County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.97¢/kWh in 2024. 37,505 people live here, down 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Finney County
Utilities with service territory in Finney County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,118 | 13.97¢ | 63% |
| Victory Electric Coop Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,243 | 11.86¢ | 26% |
| City of Garden City | Municipal | Bundled | 10,449 | 15.85¢ | 30% |
| Pioneer Electric Coop, Inc - (KS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,031 | 11.19¢ | 34% |
| Lane-Scott Electric 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 349 MW | 55% |
| Natural gas | 286 MW | 45% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holcomb | Sunflower Electric Power Corp | Coal | 349 MW | 1983 |
| Garden City | Sunflower Electric Power Corp | Natural gas | 256 MW | 1968 |
| Jameson Energy Center | Kansas Municipal Energy Agency - (KS) | Natural gas | 28 MW | 2014 |
| Bonanza BioEnergy LLC | Bonanza BioEnergy LLC | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2008 |
The Finney County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 20,620 | $52,175 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 919 | $63,667 | 0.84 |
| Electrical contractors | 111 | $68,374 | 0.75 |
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 Finney County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Finney County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide.
Finney County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Finney County, Gray 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finney County | 37,505 | ▲ 5.1% | 635 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 7,028 | ▼ 5.0% | 120 MW | — | — | — |
| Gray County | 5,652 | ▼ 1.5% | 508 MW | — | — | — |
| Haskell County | 3,599 | ▲ 3.8% | 250 MW | — | — | — |
| Hodgeman County | 1,619 | ▲ 3.7% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Kearny County | 3,888 | ▲ 12.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Lane County | 1,508 | ▼ 7.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Ness County | 2,617 | ▼ 4.1% | 213 MW | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 4,815 | ▼ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Finney County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Finney County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Finney County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc, Victory Electric Coop Assn Inc, City of Garden City, Pioneer Electric Coop, Inc - (KS). The largest, Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 13.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Garden City, KS in?
Garden City is in Finney County, Kansas. About 27,402 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Finney County?
4 operating plants with 635 MW of capacity. The largest is Holcomb (349 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Finney County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Finney County.
Is Finney County adding jobs?
Employers counted 20,620 jobs in 2025 against 19,615 in 2019 (+5.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,008 to 919.
Does Finney County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Finney County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.