Linn County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lincoln Township, Potosi Township and Mound City Township
Linn County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Linn County is home to Lincoln Township, Potosi Township, Mound City Township and Pleasanton. Construction employs 173, up 33.1% since 2019, and construction is 1.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Owners plan to retire 873 MW more by 2035, led by La Cygne in 2032. Its power plants have 1,599 MW of capacity, 100% of it coal, the 2nd largest fleet in Kansas. Employers here counted 2,137 jobs in 2025, up 7.6% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Linn County
Linn County is home to Lincoln Township, Potosi Township, Mound City Township and Pleasanton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Centerville.
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 Linn County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,595 | 9,950 | ▲ 3.7% | 39th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,986 | 2,137 | ▲ 7.6% | 14th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,655 | $52,759 | ▲ 18.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 130 | 173 | ▲ 33.1% | 16th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.8% | 5.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 5.8% in 2019. Evergy Kansas South, Inc is the largest utility serving Linn County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.25¢/kWh in 2024. 9,950 people live here, up 3.7% since 2020.
Who powers Linn County
Utilities with service territory in Linn County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Kansas South, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 302,508 | 14.25¢ | 32% |
| Evergy Metro | Investor Owned | Bundled | 244,555 | 13.13¢ | 51% |
| City of Blue Mound - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Prescott - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Heartland Rural Elec 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,599 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cygne | Evergy Metro | Coal | 1,599 MW | 1973 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cygne | Coal | 873 MW | 2032 |
The Linn County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,137 | $52,759 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 173 | $66,678 | 1.53 |
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 Linn County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Linn County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Bourbon County, Franklin County, Miami County.
Linn County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Linn County, Allen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County | 9,950 | ▲ 7.6% | 1,599 MW | — | — | — |
| Allen County | 12,302 | ▼ 2.8% | 229 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Anderson County | 8,018 | ▲ 15.0% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Bates County MO | 16,512 | ▲ 4.0% | 14 MW | — | — | — |
| Bourbon County | 14,319 | ▼ 8.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Franklin County | 26,299 | ▲ 8.7% | 19 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Miami County | 36,240 | ▲ 8.2% | 119 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Vernon County MO | 19,946 | ▲ 3.3% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Linn County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Linn County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Linn County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas South, Inc, Evergy Metro, City of Blue Mound - (KS), City of Prescott - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, charged residential customers 14.25¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Linn County?
1 operating plant with 1,599 MW of capacity. The largest is La Cygne (1,599 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Linn County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Linn County.
Is Linn County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,137 jobs in 2025 against 1,986 in 2019 (+7.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 130 to 173.
Does Linn County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Linn County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.