Rice County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Lyons and Sterling
No data center or power plant project is on record in Rice County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Construction employs 153, up 57.7% since 2019. Rice County is home to Lyons, Sterling and Union Township. Next door, Reno County has 765 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 14 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Rice County
Rice County is home to Lyons, Sterling and Union Township.
And 2 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 Rice County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,382 | 9,266 | ▼ 1.2% | 41st of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,905 | 3,829 | ▼ 1.9% | 65th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $41,634 | $51,330 | ▲ 23.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 97 | 153 | ▲ 57.7% | 8th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 4.2% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 14 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 24 MW of capacity, 57% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 3,829 jobs in 2025, down 1.9% from 2019. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Rice County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 9,266 people live here, down 1.2% since 2020.
Who powers Rice County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +14 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rice 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% |
| Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,832 | 11.44¢ | 25% |
| DS&O Electric Cooperative, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Sterling - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ark Valley Elec Coop Assn, 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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 14 MW | 57% |
| Petroleum | 10 MW | 43% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Ethanol, LLC | Kansas Ethanol, LLC | Natural gas | 14 MW | 2020 |
| Sterling | City of Sterling - (KS) | Petroleum | 10 MW | 1950 |
The Rice County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,829 | $51,330 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 153 | $56,966 | 0.75 |
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 Rice County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rice County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: McPherson County.
Rice County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Rice County, Reno 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice County | 9,266 | ▼ 1.9% | 24 MW | — | — | — |
| Barton County | 24,790 | ▼ 6.2% | 101 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellsworth County | 6,257 | ▼ 2.0% | 201 MW | — | — | — |
| McPherson County | 30,064 | ▲ 5.2% | 331 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Reno County | 61,539 | ▲ 0.2% | 347 MW | 765 MW | — | — |
| Stafford County | 4,005 | ▼ 2.3% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Rice County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rice County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Rice County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), DS&O Electric Cooperative, Inc., City of Sterling - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Rice County?
2 operating plants with 24 MW of capacity. The largest is Kansas Ethanol, LLC (14 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Rice County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rice County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Reno County.
Is Rice County adding jobs?
Employers counted 3,829 jobs in 2025 against 3,905 in 2019 (-1.9%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 97 to 153.
Does Rice County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rice County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.