Nemaha County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sabetha and Seneca
Nemaha 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. Nemaha County is home to Sabetha, Seneca, Home Township and Illinois Township. Electrical contractors employ 27, up 58.8% since 2019 against up 23.4% statewide, at an average $39,083 a year. Construction employs 291, up 32.3% since 2019. Employers here counted 5,766 jobs in 2025, up 15.3% from 2019 (the 4th fastest growth of 105 Kansas counties). 300 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind.
Cities and towns in Nemaha County
Nemaha County is home to Sabetha, Seneca, Home Township and Illinois Township.
And 4 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Baileyville, Kelly, St. Benedict.
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 Nemaha County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,268 | 10,054 | ▼ 2.1% | 38th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,999 | 5,766 | ▲ 15.3% | 4th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,031 | $52,881 | ▲ 39.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 220 | 291 | ▲ 32.3% | 18th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 17 | 27 | ▲ 58.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.2% | ▲ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 300 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 322 MW of capacity, 93% of it wind. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Nemaha County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. Unemployment was 3.2% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 10,054 people live here, down 2.1% since 2020.
Who powers Nemaha County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +300 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Nemaha 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% |
| Brown-Atchison E C A Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Centralia - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Sabetha - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Seneca - (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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 300 MW | 93% |
| Petroleum | 17 MW | 5% |
| Natural gas | 4 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier Creek Wind | Soldier Creek Wind LLC | Wind | 300 MW | 2020 |
| Sabetha Power Plant | City of Sabetha - (KS) | Petroleum | 22 MW | 1947 |
The Nemaha County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,766 | $52,881 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 291 | $62,644 | 0.95 |
| Electrical contractors | 27 | $39,083 | 0.65 |
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 Nemaha County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Nemaha County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Pottawatomie County.
Nemaha County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Nemaha County, Pottawatomie 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nemaha County | 10,054 | ▲ 15.3% | 322 MW | — | — | — |
| Brown County | 9,104 | ▼ 16.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 13,438 | ▲ 6.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Marshall County | 9,852 | ▼ 5.5% | 374 MW | — | — | — |
| Pawnee County NE | 2,510 | ▼ 6.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Pottawatomie County | 27,186 | ▲ 2.9% | 2,188 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Richardson County NE | 7,530 | ▼ 5.9% | 91 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Nemaha County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Nemaha County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Nemaha County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Brown-Atchison E C A Inc, City of Centralia - (KS), Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc. The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Nemaha County?
2 operating plants with 322 MW of capacity. The largest is Soldier Creek Wind (300 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Nemaha County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Nemaha County.
Is Nemaha County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,766 jobs in 2025 against 4,999 in 2019 (+15.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 220 to 291.
Does Nemaha County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Nemaha County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.