Wichita County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Leoti
Wichita 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. Wichita County is home to Leoti. Employers here counted 803 jobs in 2025, down 17.0% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, against 2.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 99 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Wichita County. Its residential customers paid an average 13.97¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Wichita County
Wichita County is home to Leoti.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Marienthal.
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 Wichita County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,150 | 2,031 | ▼ 5.5% | 98th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 968 | 803 | ▼ 17.0% | 101st of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,158 | $50,086 | ▲ 8.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.0% | 3.1% | ▲ 1.1pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
2,031 people live here, down 5.5% since 2020.
Who powers Wichita County
Utilities with service territory in Wichita County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,118 | 13.97¢ | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 99 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Plains Wind Farm | Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Wind | 99 MW | 2009 |
The Wichita County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 803 | $50,086 | 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 Wichita County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wichita County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide.
Wichita County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Wichita County, Wallace 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita County | 2,031 | ▼ 17.0% | 99 MW | — | — | — |
| Greeley County | 1,182 | ▲ 1.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Hamilton County | 2,500 | ▼ 1.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Kearny County | 3,888 | ▲ 12.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 2,661 | ▲ 3.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Scott County | 4,815 | ▼ 6.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Wallace County | 1,441 | ▼ 1.5% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
More of Kansas
Wichita County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wichita County, Kansas?
1 utility has service territory in Wichita County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Wheatland Electric Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 13.97¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Wichita County?
1 operating plant with 99 MW of capacity. The largest is Central Plains Wind Farm (99 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Wichita County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wichita County.
Is Wichita County adding jobs?
Employers counted 803 jobs in 2025 against 968 in 2019 (-17.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wichita County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wichita County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.