Greene County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Springfield, Republic and Willard
Greene County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Greene County. Greene County is home to Springfield, Republic, Willard and Battlefield. 178 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) (natural gas), the 9th largest pipeline among Missouri's counties. 178 MW of it is already under construction or built. Construction employs 7,406, up 16.0% since 2019. 166 MW has retired here since 2019, including James River Power Station (natural gas, 165 MW, 2020).
Cities and towns in Greene County
Greene County is home to Springfield, Republic, Willard and Battlefield.
- Rogersville also extends into Webster 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 Greene County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 299,328 | 309,286 | ▲ 3.3% | 4th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 170,031 | 179,452 | ▲ 5.5% | 38th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $44,706 | $58,102 | ▲ 30.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 6,382 | 7,406 | ▲ 16.0% | 37th of 71 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,052 | 1,075 | ▲ 2.2% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 495 | 343 | ▼ 30.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.7% | 3.6% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 166 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 178 MW | 19% of today's fleet | 9th of 14 by size |
Its power plants have 926 MW of capacity, 53% of it coal. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 2.7% in 2019. Employers here counted 179,452 jobs in 2025, up 5.5% from 2019. Electrical contractors employ 1,075, up 2.2% since 2019 against up 21.5% statewide, at an average $64,798 a year. Empire District Electric Co is the largest utility serving Greene County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.99¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.79¢ median for Missouri utilities. 309,286 people live here, up 3.3% since 2020, 4th of 115 Missouri counties by population.
Who powers Greene County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −166 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Greene County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire District Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 142,537 | 14.99¢ | 37% |
| City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) | Municipal | Bundled | 105,029 | 11.47¢ | 51% |
| Southwest Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 41,386 | 11.99¢ | 16% |
| Ozark Electric Coop Inc - (MO) | Cooperative | Bundled | 31,534 | 14.07¢ | 19% |
| Webster Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,820 | 10.19¢ | 26% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 494 MW | 53% |
| Natural gas | 424 MW | 46% |
| Solar | 5 MW | 1% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Twitty Energy Center | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) | Natural gas | 603 MW | 1976 |
| James River Power Station | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) | Natural gas | 198 MW | 1989 |
| McCartney | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) | Natural gas | 118 MW | 2002 |
| Springfield Solar 1 LLC | Strata Manager, LLC | Solar | 5 MW | 2014 |
| Noble Hill Landfill | City of Springfield - (MO) | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2006 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCartney | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 49 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) |
| McCartney | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 49 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) |
| McCartney | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 49 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) |
| James River Power Station | Batteries | 31 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| James River Power Station | Natural gas | 165 MW | 2020 |
| Cox Battery Energy Storage | Battery storage | 1 MW | 2023 |
The Greene County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 179,452 | $58,102 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 7,406 | $68,130 | 0.78 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,075 | $64,798 | 0.83 |
| Data processing and hosting | 343 | $70,919 | 0.62 |
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 Greene County
2 data centers in Greene County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Greene County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Greene County, Dade 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County | 309,286 | ▲ 5.5% | 926 MW | 178 MW | 2 | — |
| Christian County | 96,725 | ▲ 17.1% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Dade County | 7,804 | ▼ 0.2% | — | 247 MW | — | — |
| Dallas County | 18,025 | ▲ 15.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence County | 39,401 | ▲ 1.1% | 149 MW | — | — | — |
| Polk County | 33,604 | ▲ 7.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Webster County | 43,054 | ▲ 12.7% | — | — | 1 | 1 |
More of Missouri
Greene County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Greene County, Missouri?
5 utilities have service territory in Greene County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Empire District Electric Co, City Utilities of Springfield - (MO), Southwest Electric Coop, Inc, Ozark Electric Coop Inc - (MO). The largest, Empire District Electric Co, charged residential customers 14.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Springfield, MO in?
Springfield is in Greene County, Missouri. About 169,845 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Republic, MO in?
Republic is in Greene County, Missouri. About 22,255 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Greene County?
5 operating plants with 926 MW of capacity. The largest is John Twitty Energy Center (603 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Greene County?
178 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 178 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is City Utilities of Springfield - (MO).
Are there data centers in Greene County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Greene County.
Is Greene County adding jobs?
Employers counted 179,452 jobs in 2025 against 170,031 in 2019 (+5.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 6,382 to 7,406.
Does Greene County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Greene County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.