# Norton County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Norton and Center-District 1 Township Norton 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. Norton County is home to Norton, Center-District 1 Township and Highland-District 2 Township. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 2.4% in 2019. Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) is the largest utility serving Norton County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.44¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. Employers here counted 2,328 jobs in 2025, down 0.2% from 2019. 5,288 people live here, down 3.0% since 2020. 11.44¢ per kWh for Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) residential customers, 2024 -0.2% total jobs since 2019, now 2,328 5,288 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Norton County Norton County is home to Norton, Center-District 1 Township and Highland-District 2 Township. Norton2,651 residents Center-District 1 Township1,498 residents Highland-District 2 Township515 residents Almena-District 4 Township494 residents Almena348 residents Lenora195 residents Solomon-District 3 Township130 residents 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 Norton County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,452 | 5,288 | ▼ 3.0% | 65th of 105 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,332 | 2,328 | ▼ 0.2% | 54th of 105 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,289 | $48,842 | ▲ 27.6% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 52 | 49 | ▼ 5.8% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.4% | 3.4% | ▲ 1.0pts | — | ## Who powers Norton County ### Utilities with service territory in Norton County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,832 | 11.44¢ | 25% | | Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,273 | 14.29¢ | 28% | | City of Norton | — | — | — | — | — | Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers. No operating power plant is located in Norton County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Norton County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 2,328 | $48,842 | 1.00 | | Construction | 49 | $50,980 | 0.40 | 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 Norton County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Norton County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: [Furnas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/furnas-county), [Harlan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/harlan-county). ## Norton County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Norton County, Furnas 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Norton County | 5,288 | ▼ 0.2% | — | — | — | — | | Decatur County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/decatur-county) | 2,716 | ▼ 10.5% | 6 MW | — | — | — | | Furnas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/furnas-county) NE | 4,524 | ▼ 8.3% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 | | Graham County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/graham-county) | 2,371 | ▼ 5.8% | 7 MW | — | — | — | | Harlan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/harlan-county) NE | 3,000 | ▲ 1.8% | — | — | — | 1 | | Phillips County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/phillips-county) | 4,728 | ▼ 6.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — | | Sheridan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/sheridan-county) | 2,427 | ▲ 1.9% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Kansas [All Kansas countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas)[Phillips County4,728 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/phillips-county)[Decatur County2,716 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/decatur-county)[Sheridan County2,427 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/sheridan-county)[Graham County2,371 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/graham-county) ## Norton County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Norton County, Kansas? 3 utilities have service territory in Norton County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc, City of Norton. The largest, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), charged residential customers 11.44¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Norton County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Norton County. ### Is Norton County adding jobs? Employers counted 2,328 jobs in 2025 against 2,332 in 2019 (-0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 52 to 49. ### Does Norton County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Norton County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/kansas/norton-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).