Atchison County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Tarkio and Rock Port
Atchison County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Atchison County is home to Tarkio, Rock Port and Fairfax. Next door, Nodaway County has 490 MW of planned generation. 299 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 800 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Employers here counted 1,706 jobs in 2025, up 4.0% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Atchison County
Atchison County is home to Tarkio, Rock Port and Fairfax.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Blanchard, Phelps City.
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 Atchison County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,307 | 5,175 | ▼ 2.5% | 108th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,641 | 1,706 | ▲ 4.0% | 45th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,790 | $47,110 | ▲ 39.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 2.9% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 299 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. Evergy Missouri West is the largest utility serving Atchison County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.55¢/kWh in 2024. 5,175 people live here, down 2.5% since 2020.
Who powers Atchison County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +299 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Atchison County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Missouri West | Investor Owned | Bundled | 305,583 | 12.55¢ | 42% |
| Atchison-Holt Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| United Electric Coop, Inc - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Rockport - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 800 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Creek Wind Project | Enel Green Power NA, Inc. | Wind | 300 MW | 2017 |
| Atchison County Wind | Union Electric Co - (MO) | Wind | 299 MW | 2021 |
| Farmers City Wind LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 146 MW | 2009 |
| Cow Branch | Cow Branch Wind Power, LLC | Wind | 50 MW | 2008 |
| Loess Hills | Loess Hills Wind Farm LLC | Wind | 5 MW | 2008 |
The Atchison County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,706 | $47,110 | 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 Atchison County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Atchison County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Nodaway County, Otoe County, Page County.
Atchison County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Atchison County, Nodaway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison County | 5,175 | ▲ 4.0% | 800 MW | — | — | — |
| Fremont County IA | 6,522 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Holt County | 4,200 | ▲ 4.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Nemaha County NE | 7,102 | ▼ 3.7% | 820 MW | — | — | — |
| Nodaway County | 20,174 | ▲ 4.0% | 844 MW | 490 MW | — | 1 |
| Otoe County NE | 16,531 | ▲ 0.2% | 1,433 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Page County IA | 14,856 | ▲ 0.5% | 234 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Richardson County NE | 7,530 | ▼ 5.9% | 91 MW | — | — | — |
More of Missouri
Atchison County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Atchison County, Missouri?
4 utilities have service territory in Atchison County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Missouri West, Atchison-Holt Electric Coop, United Electric Coop, Inc - (MO), City of Rockport - (MO). The largest, Evergy Missouri West, charged residential customers 12.55¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Atchison County?
5 operating plants with 800 MW of capacity. The largest is Rock Creek Wind Project (300 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Atchison County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Atchison County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Nodaway County.
Is Atchison County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,706 jobs in 2025 against 1,641 in 2019 (+4.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Atchison County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Atchison County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.