Phillips County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Phillipsburg
Phillips 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. Phillips County is home to Phillipsburg. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 2,194 jobs in 2025, down 6.4% from 2019. Its power plants have 2 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) is the largest utility serving Phillips 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.
Cities and towns in Phillips County
Phillips County is home to Phillipsburg.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Stuttgart, Woodruff.
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 Phillips County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 4,969 | 4,728 | ▼ 4.9% | 68th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,345 | 2,194 | ▼ 6.4% | 89th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,381 | $47,519 | ▲ 27.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 45 | 44 | ▼ 2.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 3.9% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
4,728 people live here, down 4.9% since 2020.
Who powers Phillips County
Utilities with service territory in Phillips 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% |
| 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Horizon Agri Energy | Prairie Horizon Agri Energy LLC | Natural gas | 2 MW | 2006 |
The Phillips County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,194 | $47,519 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 44 | $46,735 | 0.38 |
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 Phillips County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Phillips County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Harlan County.
Phillips County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Phillips County, Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips County | 4,728 | ▼ 6.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Franklin County NE | 2,795 | ▲ 6.7% | 10 MW | — | — | — |
| Graham County | 2,371 | ▼ 5.8% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Harlan County NE | 3,000 | ▲ 1.8% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Norton County | 5,288 | ▼ 0.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Rooks County | 4,646 | ▼ 2.7% | 9 MW | — | — | — |
| Smith County | 3,566 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Phillips County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Phillips County, Kansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Phillips County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc, Rolling Hills Electric Coop. The largest, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), charged residential customers 11.44¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Phillips County?
1 operating plant with 2 MW of capacity. The largest is Prairie Horizon Agri Energy (2 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Phillips County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Phillips County.
Is Phillips County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,194 jobs in 2025 against 2,345 in 2019 (-6.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 45 to 44.
Does Phillips County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Phillips County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.