Pottawatomie County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Wamego Township, Blue Township and St. George Township
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Pottawatomie County. Pottawatomie County is home to Wamego Township, Blue Township, St. George Township and Wamego. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (0 in force); the latest is “Proposed county moratorium on data centers”. Owners plan to retire 720 MW more by 2035, led by Jeffrey Energy Center in 2030. Its power plants have 2,188 MW of capacity, 99% of it coal, the largest fleet in Kansas. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Pottawatomie County
Pottawatomie County is home to Wamego Township, Blue Township, St. George Township and Wamego.
And 10 smaller places.
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 Pottawatomie County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 25,422 | 27,186 | ▲ 6.9% | 22nd of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 9,711 | 9,996 | ▲ 2.9% | 37th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,172 | $52,916 | ▲ 31.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.2% | ▲ 1.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 13 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
13 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Employers here counted 9,996 jobs in 2025, up 2.9% from 2019. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Pottawatomie 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. 27,186 people live here, up 6.9% since 2020.
Who powers Pottawatomie County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +13 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Pottawatomie 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% |
| FreeState Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,514 | 16.41¢ | 13% |
| Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of St Marys - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Wamego - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bluestem 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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 2,160 MW | 99% |
| Natural gas | 15 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Energy Center | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Coal | 2,160 MW | 1978 |
| Wamego | City of Wamego - (KS) | Natural gas | 24 MW | 1956 |
| Public Works Generation | City of Wamego - (KS) | Petroleum | 3 MW | 2026 |
| St. George | Today's Power, Inc. | Solar | 1 MW | 2021 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Energy Center | Coal | 720 MW | 2030 |
The Pottawatomie County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 9,996 | $52,916 | 1.00 |
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 Pottawatomie County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed county moratorium on data centers | Proposed | — |
Pottawatomie County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Pottawatomie County, Shawnee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottawatomie County | 27,186 | ▲ 2.9% | 2,188 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Jackson County | 13,438 | ▲ 6.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Marshall County | 9,852 | ▼ 5.5% | 374 MW | — | — | — |
| Nemaha County | 10,054 | ▲ 15.3% | 322 MW | — | — | — |
| Riley County | 72,598 | ▲ 3.7% | 4 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Shawnee County | 178,607 | ▲ 6.3% | 8 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
| Wabaunsee County | 7,018 | ▲ 4.3% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Pottawatomie County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pottawatomie County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Pottawatomie County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, FreeState Electric Coop, Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc, City of St Marys - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Pottawatomie County?
4 operating plants with 2,188 MW of capacity. The largest is Jeffrey Energy Center (2,160 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Pottawatomie County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pottawatomie County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Shawnee County.
Is Pottawatomie County adding jobs?
Employers counted 9,996 jobs in 2025 against 9,711 in 2019 (+2.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Pottawatomie County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Pottawatomie County, 0 in force.