# Iron County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Ironton No data center or power plant project is on record in Iron County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Iron County is home to Ironton, Pilot Knob, Viburnum and Arcadia. Unemployment was 4.8% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. Union Electric Co - (MO) is the largest utility serving Iron County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.56¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 3,425 jobs in 2025, up 0.3% from 2019. 9,318 people live here, down 2.0% since 2020. 12.56¢ per kWh for Union Electric Co - (MO) residential customers, 2024 +0.3% total jobs since 2019, now 3,425 9,318 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Iron County Iron County is home to Ironton, Pilot Knob, Viburnum and Arcadia. Ironton1,408 residents Pilot Knob701 residents Viburnum652 residents Arcadia605 residents Annapolis239 residents Des Arc121 residents 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 Iron County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 9,512 | 9,318 | ▼ 2.0% | 89th of 115 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,415 | 3,425 | ▲ 0.3% | 72nd of 115 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,250 | $50,106 | ▲ 27.7% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 48 | 77 | ▲ 60.4% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 4.8% | ▲ 0.7pts | — | ## Who powers Iron County ### Utilities with service territory in Iron 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% | | Black River Electric Coop - (MO) | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,575 | 12.81¢ | 31% | Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers. No operating power plant is located in Iron County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Iron County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 3,425 | $50,106 | 1.00 | | Construction | 77 | $45,036 | 0.42 | 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 Iron County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Iron County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide. ## Iron County and its neighbors Of the 7 counties that border Iron County, Reynolds 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Iron County | 9,318 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — | | Crawford County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/crawford-county) | 22,929 | ▲ 0.8% | — | — | — | — | | Dent County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/dent-county) | 14,584 | ▼ 5.7% | — | — | — | — | | Madison County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/madison-county) | 12,858 | ▼ 3.1% | 28 MW | — | — | — | | Reynolds County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/reynolds-county) | 5,992 | ▼ 12.8% | 408 MW | — | — | — | | St. Francois County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/st-francois-county) | 67,809 | ▼ 0.8% | 18 MW | — | — | — | | Washington County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/washington-county) | 23,810 | ▲ 2.4% | — | — | — | — | | Wayne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/wayne-county) | 10,782 | ▼ 8.6% | — | — | — | — | ## More of Missouri [All Missouri countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri)[St. Francois County67,809 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/st-francois-county)[Washington County23,810 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/washington-county)[Crawford County22,929 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/crawford-county)[Dent County14,584 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/dent-county)[Madison County12,858 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/madison-county) ## Iron County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Iron County, Missouri? 2 utilities have service territory in Iron County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Union Electric Co - (MO), Black River Electric Coop - (MO). The largest, Union Electric Co - (MO), charged residential customers 12.56¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Iron County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Iron County. ### Is Iron County adding jobs? Employers counted 3,425 jobs in 2025 against 3,415 in 2019 (+0.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 48 to 77. ### Does Iron County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Iron County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/iron-county Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).