Callaway County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Fulton, Holts Summit and Auxvasse
Callaway County hosts some of the generating capacity Missouri runs on. Callaway County is home to Fulton, Holts Summit, Auxvasse and New Bloomfield. Construction employs 881, up 39.0% since 2019. 266 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Show Me State Solar, LLC (solar), the 7th largest pipeline among Missouri's counties. 250 MW of it is already under construction or built. Next door, Montgomery County has 3 data centers. Its power plants have 1,269 MW of capacity, 97% of it nuclear, the 5th largest fleet in Missouri.
Cities and towns in Callaway County
Callaway County is home to Fulton, Holts Summit, Auxvasse and New Bloomfield.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Tebbetts.
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 Callaway County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 44,339 | 45,765 | ▲ 3.2% | 23rd of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 14,592 | 14,759 | ▲ 1.1% | 61st of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,983 | $61,328 | ▲ 36.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 634 | 881 | ▲ 39.0% | 14th of 71 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 3.3% | ▲ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 266 MW | 21% of today's fleet | 7th of 14 by size |
Union Electric Co - (MO) is the largest utility serving Callaway County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 14,759 jobs in 2025, up 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.3% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019. 45,765 people live here, up 3.2% since 2020.
Who powers Callaway County
Utilities with service territory in Callaway County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Electric Co - (MO) | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,095,619 | 12.56¢ | 44% |
| Boone Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 33,806 | 13.40¢ | 17% |
| Callaway Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 12,647 | 16.29¢ | 22% |
| Consolidated Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,649 | 12.96¢ | 13% |
| City of Fulton - (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear | 1,236 MW | 97% |
| Natural gas | 21 MW | 2% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway | Union Electric Co - (MO) | Nuclear | 1,236 MW | 1984 |
| Fulton (MO) | City of Fulton - (MO) | Petroleum | 33 MW | 1966 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show Me State Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 250 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Show Me State Solar, LLC |
| Fulton Energy Center | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 16 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Missouri Jnt Muni.Pwr Elec. Ut. Comm. |
The Callaway County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 14,759 | $61,328 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 881 | $75,150 | 1.13 |
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 Callaway County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Callaway County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide.
Callaway County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Callaway County, Audrain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway County | 45,765 | ▲ 1.1% | 1,269 MW | 266 MW | — | — |
| Audrain County | 24,528 | ▼ 10.7% | 1,218 MW | — | — | — |
| Boone County | 191,746 | ▲ 5.9% | 321 MW | 9 MW | 2 | — |
| Cole County | 77,908 | ▲ 2.2% | 132 MW | — | — | — |
| Montgomery County | 11,590 | ▲ 9.0% | 6 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Osage County | 13,611 | ▲ 11.6% | — | — | — | — |
More of Missouri
Callaway County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Callaway County, Missouri?
5 utilities have service territory in Callaway County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Union Electric Co - (MO), Boone Electric Coop, Callaway Electric Cooperative, Consolidated Electric Coop. The largest, Union Electric Co - (MO), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Fulton, MO in?
Fulton is in Callaway County, Missouri. About 12,853 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Callaway County?
2 operating plants with 1,269 MW of capacity. The largest is Callaway (1,236 MW, nuclear).
How much new power is planned in Callaway County?
266 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 250 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Show Me State Solar, LLC.
Are there data centers in Callaway County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Callaway County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Montgomery County.
Is Callaway County adding jobs?
Employers counted 14,759 jobs in 2025 against 14,592 in 2019 (+1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 634 to 881.
Does Callaway County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Callaway County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.