Rooks County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Township 11, Plainville and Stockton
No data center or power plant project is on record in Rooks County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Rooks County is home to Township 11, Plainville, Stockton and Township 3. Next door, Ellis County has 1 data center. 0 MW has retired here since 2019, including Stockton (natural gas, 0 MW, 2020). 3 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Its power plants have 9 MW of capacity, 64% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Rooks County
Rooks County is home to Township 11, Plainville, Stockton and Township 3.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Codell.
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 Rooks County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 4,886 | 4,646 | ▼ 4.9% | 69th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,815 | 1,766 | ▼ 2.7% | 70th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,884 | $47,247 | ▲ 39.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.5% | 4.0% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 3 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 1,766 jobs in 2025, down 2.7% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 3.5% in 2019. Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) is the largest utility serving Rooks County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.44¢/kWh in 2024, below the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 4,646 people live here, down 4.9% since 2020.
Who powers Rooks County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +3 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Rooks 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% |
| Western Coop Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 5,799 | 14.17¢ | 79% |
| Rolling Hills Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Stockton - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 6 MW | 64% |
| Petroleum | 3 MW | 36% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton | City of Stockton - (KS) | Natural gas | 9 MW | 1955 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton | Natural gas | 0 MW | 2020 |
The Rooks County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,766 | $47,247 | 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 Rooks County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Rooks County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide.
Rooks County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Rooks County, Ellis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooks County | 4,646 | ▼ 2.7% | 9 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellis County | 29,075 | ▼ 0.8% | 308 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Graham County | 2,371 | ▼ 5.8% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Osborne County | 3,285 | ▼ 15.8% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Phillips County | 4,728 | ▼ 6.4% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Smith County | 3,566 | ▲ 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Trego County | 2,740 | ▼ 17.2% | — | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Rooks County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Rooks County, Kansas?
5 utilities have service territory in Rooks County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc, Western Coop Electric Assn 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 Rooks County?
1 operating plant with 9 MW of capacity. The largest is Stockton (9 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Rooks County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Rooks County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Ellis County.
Is Rooks County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,766 jobs in 2025 against 1,815 in 2019 (-2.7%, BLS QCEW).
Does Rooks County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Rooks County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.