Washington County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Washington
No data center or power plant project is on record in Washington County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Washington County is home to Washington, Hanover Township, Hanover and Linn Township. Next door, Cloud County has 202 MW of planned generation. 2 MW has retired here since 2019, including Washington (petroleum, 2 MW, 2022). Owners plan to retire 88 MW more by 2035, led by Clifton in 2028. 4 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Washington County
Washington County is home to Washington, Hanover Township, Hanover and Linn Township.
And 5 smaller places.
- Clifton also extends into Clay County.
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 Washington County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,544 | 5,533 | ▼ 0.2% | 62nd of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,015 | 2,024 | ▲ 0.4% | 49th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $30,109 | $42,350 | ▲ 40.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 93 | 93 | ● 0.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.1% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 2 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.1% in 2019. Its power plants have 99 MW of capacity, 95% of it natural gas. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Washington 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. Employers here counted 2,024 jobs in 2025, up 0.4% from 2019. 5,533 people live here, down 0.2% since 2020.
Who powers Washington County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +2 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Washington 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% |
| Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,273 | 14.29¢ | 28% |
| Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rolling Hills Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Washington - (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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 94 MW | 95% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | Sunflower Electric Power Corp | Natural gas | 88 MW | 1974 |
| Washington | City of Washington - (KS) | Natural gas | 11 MW | 1958 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2022 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | Natural gas | 85 MW | 2028 |
| Clifton | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2028 |
The Washington County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,024 | $42,350 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 93 | $44,835 | 0.87 |
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 Washington County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Washington County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Gage County, Riley County.
Washington County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Washington County, Cloud 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 5,533 | ▲ 0.4% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Clay County | 7,990 | ▼ 4.8% | 30 MW | — | — | — |
| Cloud County | 8,833 | ▲ 2.0% | 201 MW | 202 MW | — | — |
| Gage County NE | 21,711 | ▼ 2.2% | 247 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Jefferson County NE | 7,070 | ▲ 4.0% | 79 MW | 50 MW | — | — |
| Marshall County | 9,852 | ▼ 5.5% | 374 MW | — | — | — |
| Republic County | 4,640 | ▲ 5.3% | 653 MW | 6 MW | — | — |
| Riley County | 72,598 | ▲ 3.7% | 4 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Thayer County NE | 4,842 | ▼ 3.5% | 59 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Washington County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Washington County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Washington County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc, Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc, Rolling Hills Electric Coop. The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Washington County?
2 operating plants with 99 MW of capacity. The largest is Clifton (88 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Washington County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Washington County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Cloud County.
Is Washington County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,024 jobs in 2025 against 2,015 in 2019 (+0.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 93 to 93.
Does Washington County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Washington County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.