Buchanan County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to St. Joseph
Buchanan 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. Buchanan County is home to St. Joseph and Agency. Construction employs 2,325, up 32.3% since 2019. Next door, Clinton County has 419 MW of planned generation. Owners plan to retire 90 MW more by 2035, led by Lake Road (MO) in 2030. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Buchanan County
Buchanan County is home to St. Joseph and Agency.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Faucett.
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 Buchanan County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 84,471 | 83,540 | ▼ 1.1% | 15th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 47,005 | 46,348 | ▼ 1.4% | 84th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,147 | $62,044 | ▲ 34.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,757 | 2,325 | ▲ 32.3% | 21st of 71 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 280 MW of capacity, 84% of it natural gas. Evergy Missouri West is the largest utility serving Buchanan County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.55¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 46,348 jobs in 2025, down 1.4% from 2019. 83,540 people live here, down 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Buchanan County
Utilities with service territory in Buchanan 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% |
| Platte-Clay Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,584 | 12.46¢ | 23% |
| City of Easton - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| United Electric Coop, Inc - (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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 236 MW | 84% |
| Petroleum | 43 MW | 15% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Road (MO) | Evergy Missouri West | Natural gas | 278 MW | 1950 |
| St Joseph Landfill Generating Station | Evergy Missouri West | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2011 |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Road (MO) | Natural gas | 90 MW | 2030 |
The Buchanan County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 46,348 | $62,044 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,325 | $98,679 | 0.95 |
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 Buchanan County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Buchanan County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide.
Buchanan County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Buchanan County, Platte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County | 83,540 | ▼ 1.4% | 280 MW | — | — | — |
| Andrew County | 18,241 | ▲ 10.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Atchison County KS | 16,172 | ▲ 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Clinton County | 21,661 | ▲ 22.4% | — | 419 MW | — | — |
| DeKalb County | 9,795 | ▼ 18.9% | 369 MW | — | — | — |
| Doniphan County KS | 7,594 | ▲ 23.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Platte County | 114,400 | ▲ 0.3% | 1,754 MW | — | 7 | — |
More of Missouri
Buchanan County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Buchanan County, Missouri?
4 utilities have service territory in Buchanan County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Missouri West, Platte-Clay Electric Coop, Inc, City of Easton - (MO), United Electric Coop, Inc - (MO). The largest, Evergy Missouri West, charged residential customers 12.55¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is St. Joseph, MO in?
St. Joseph is in Buchanan County, Missouri. About 71,001 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Buchanan County?
2 operating plants with 280 MW of capacity. The largest is Lake Road (MO) (278 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Buchanan County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Buchanan County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Clinton County.
Is Buchanan County adding jobs?
Employers counted 46,348 jobs in 2025 against 47,005 in 2019 (-1.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,757 to 2,325.
Does Buchanan County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Buchanan County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.