Wallace County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Weskan
Wallace 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. Wallace County is home to Sharon Springs Township and Sharon Springs. Next door, Kit Carson County, Colorado, has 753 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 3.1% in 2019. Its power plants have 3 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 514 jobs in 2025, down 1.5% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Wallace County
Wallace County is home to Sharon Springs Township and Sharon Springs.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Weskan.
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 Wallace County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,512 | 1,441 | ▼ 4.7% | 104th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 522 | 514 | ▼ 1.5% | 62nd of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,288 | $36,764 | ▲ 10.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.1% | 3.9% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Midwest Energy Inc - (KS) is the largest utility serving Wallace 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. 1,441 people live here, down 4.7% since 2020.
Who powers Wallace County
Utilities with service territory in Wallace 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% |
| Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,118 | 13.97¢ | 63% |
| City of Sharon Springs - (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 | 3 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Spring | City of Sharon Springs - (KS) | Natural gas | 3 MW | 1951 |
The Wallace County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 514 | $36,764 | 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 Wallace County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wallace County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide.
Wallace County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Wallace County, Kit Carson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace County | 1,441 | ▼ 1.5% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Cheyenne County CO | 1,713 | ▲ 2.1% | 498 MW | 688 MW | — | — |
| Greeley County | 1,182 | ▲ 1.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Kit Carson County CO | 7,069 | ▲ 6.4% | 1,436 MW | 753 MW | — | — |
| Logan County | 2,661 | ▲ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Sherman County | 5,763 | ▼ 3.5% | 19 MW | — | — | — |
| Wichita County | 2,031 | ▼ 17.0% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Wallace County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wallace County, Kansas?
3 utilities have service territory in Wallace County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc, City of Sharon Springs - (KS). The largest, Midwest Energy Inc - (KS), charged residential customers 11.44¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Wallace County?
1 operating plant with 3 MW of capacity. The largest is Sharon Spring (3 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Wallace County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wallace County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Kit Carson County.
Is Wallace County adding jobs?
Employers counted 514 jobs in 2025 against 522 in 2019 (-1.5%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wallace County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wallace County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.