Lincoln County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lincoln Center
Lincoln 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. Lincoln County is home to Lincoln Center. Unemployment was 4.9% in August 2026, against 2.6% in 2019. Next door, Mitchell County has 1 data center. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Lincoln (petroleum, 1 MW, 2021). Employers here counted 865 jobs in 2025, down 7.3% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Lincoln County
Lincoln County is home to Lincoln Center.
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 Lincoln County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,950 | 2,861 | ▼ 3.0% | 80th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 933 | 865 | ▼ 7.3% | 90th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,904 | $46,227 | ▲ 36.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 44 | 43 | ▼ 2.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.6% | 4.9% | ▲ 2.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
Its power plants have 258 MW of capacity, 97% of it wind. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Lincoln 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. 2,861 people live here, down 3.0% since 2020.
Who powers Lincoln County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Lincoln 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% |
| Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,832 | 11.44¢ | 25% |
| Western Coop Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,799 | 14.17¢ | 79% |
| City of Lincoln Center - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rolling Hills Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 249 MW | 97% |
| Petroleum | 9 MW | 3% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase II | Smoky Hills Wind Project II LLC | Wind | 148 MW | 2009 |
| Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase I | Smoky Hills Wind Farm I LLC | Wind | 101 MW | 2008 |
| Lincoln | City of Lincoln Center - (KS) | Petroleum | 9 MW | 1958 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2021 |
The Lincoln County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 865 | $46,227 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 43 | $69,774 | 0.94 |
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 Lincoln County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lincoln County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Saline County.
Lincoln County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Lincoln County, Mitchell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | 2,861 | ▼ 7.3% | 258 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellsworth County | 6,257 | ▼ 2.0% | 201 MW | — | — | — |
| Mitchell County | 5,590 | ▼ 1.4% | 21 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Osborne County | 3,285 | ▼ 15.8% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Ottawa County | 5,744 | ▼ 0.5% | 9 MW | — | — | — |
| Russell County | 6,581 | ▲ 3.3% | 51 MW | — | — | — |
| Saline County | 53,377 | ▲ 1.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
More of Kansas
Lincoln County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lincoln County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Lincoln County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Western Coop Electric Assn Inc, City of Lincoln Center - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Lincoln County?
3 operating plants with 258 MW of capacity. The largest is Smoky Hills Wind Project Phase II (148 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Lincoln County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lincoln County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Mitchell County.
Is Lincoln County adding jobs?
Employers counted 865 jobs in 2025 against 933 in 2019 (-7.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 44 to 43.
Does Lincoln County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lincoln County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.