Neosho County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Chanute, Erie Township and Erie
Neosho 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. Neosho County is home to Chanute, Erie Township, Erie and Mission Township. 7 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by City of Chanute (KS) (other technologies), the 9th largest pipeline among Kansas's counties. 7 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 195, down 10.1% since 2019. 308 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 431 MW of capacity, 70% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Neosho County
Neosho County is home to Chanute, Erie Township, Erie and Mission Township.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): South Mound, Urbana.
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 Neosho County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 15,916 | 15,637 | ▼ 1.8% | 33rd of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,336 | 6,461 | ▲ 2.0% | 41st of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,525 | $48,360 | ▲ 28.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 217 | 195 | ▼ 10.1% | 45th of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 15 | 10 | ▼ 33.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 4.2% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 308 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 7 MW | 2% of today's fleet | 9th of 10 by size |
Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 6,461 jobs in 2025, up 2.0% from 2019. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Neosho 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. 15,637 people live here, down 1.8% since 2020. Electrical contractors employ 10, down 33.3% since 2019 against up 23.4% statewide, at an average $46,299 a year.
Who powers Neosho County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +308 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Neosho 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% |
| City of Chanute | Municipal | Bundled | 4,556 | 12.89¢ | 15% |
| City of Erie - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Heartland Rural Elec Coop, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Twin Valley 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 7
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 301 MW | 70% |
| Natural gas | 87 MW | 20% |
| Petroleum | 36 MW | 8% |
| Solar | 7 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neosho Ridge Wind Energy Center | Empire District Electric Co | Wind | 301 MW | 2021 |
| Chanute 2 | City of Chanute (KS) | Natural gas | 64 MW | 1965 |
| Chanute 3 | City of Chanute (KS) | Natural gas | 35 MW | 1985 |
| Erie Energy Center | City of Erie - (KS) | Petroleum | 20 MW | 1999 |
| Chanute Solar | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Solar | 6 MW | 2026 |
| Erie | City of Erie - (KS) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 1958 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chanute 1 | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
| Chanute 1 | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
| Chanute 1 | Petroleum Liquids | 2 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2026 | City of Chanute (KS) |
The Neosho County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 6,461 | $48,360 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 195 | $52,024 | 0.57 |
| Electrical contractors | 10 | $46,299 | 0.21 |
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 Neosho County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Neosho County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Bourbon County.
Neosho County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Neosho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neosho County | 15,637 | ▲ 2.0% | 431 MW | 7 MW | — | — |
| Allen County | 12,302 | ▼ 2.8% | 229 MW | 8 MW | — | — |
| Bourbon County | 14,319 | ▼ 8.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Crawford County | 39,008 | ▼ 0.2% | 213 MW | — | — | — |
| Labette County | 19,685 | ▼ 4.3% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 30,177 | ▼ 2.2% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
| Wilson County | 8,299 | ▼ 19.5% | 6 MW | 65 MW | — | — |
| Woodson County | 3,118 | ▼ 9.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Neosho County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Neosho County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Neosho County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Evergy Kansas South, Inc, City of Chanute, City of Erie - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Neosho County?
7 operating plants with 431 MW of capacity. The largest is Neosho Ridge Wind Energy Center (301 MW, wind).
How much new power is planned in Neosho County?
7 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 7 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is City of Chanute (KS).
Are there data centers in Neosho County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Neosho County.
Is Neosho County adding jobs?
Employers counted 6,461 jobs in 2025 against 6,336 in 2019 (+2.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 217 to 195.
Does Neosho County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Neosho County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.