Jackson County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Kansas City, Independence and Lee's Summit
Jackson County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Jackson County, 17% of Missouri's total. Jackson County is home to most of Kansas City (320,794 of its 521,220 residents), Independence, most of Lee's Summit (104,697 of its 107,514 residents) and Blue Springs. The Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures here (2 in force); the latest is “180-day data center moratorium”. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Downtown Kansas City High-Rise Data Center (Quality Hill / Western Newspaper Union Building). Electrical contractors employ 3,612, up 50.1% since 2019 against up 21.5% statewide, at an average $106,820 a year.
Cities and towns in Jackson County
Jackson County is home to most of Kansas City (320,794 of its 521,220 residents), Independence, most of Lee's Summit (104,697 of its 107,514 residents) and Blue Springs.
- Kansas City also extends into Clay County, Platte County.
- Lee's Summit also extends into Cass County.
- Oak Grove also extends into Lafayette County.
- Greenwood also extends into Cass County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Blue Summit, Tarsney Lakes.
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 Jackson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 717,643 | 732,994 | ▲ 2.1% | 2nd of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 374,684 | 374,810 | ● 0.0% | 74th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $58,029 | $74,439 | ▲ 28.3% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 19,008 | 23,635 | ▲ 24.3% | 31st of 71 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,406 | 3,612 | ▲ 50.1% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 285 | 578 | ▲ 102.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,026 | 2,378 | ▲ 17.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 3.8% | ▲ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 10 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 115 MW | — |
Construction employs 23,635, up 24.3% since 2019. Its power plants have 2,018 MW of capacity, 40% of it natural gas, the 2nd largest fleet in Missouri. 115 MW has retired here since 2019, including Blue Valley (natural gas, 115 MW, 2020). 10 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Evergy Missouri West is the largest utility serving Jackson County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.55¢/kWh in 2024. Employers here counted 374,810 jobs in 2025, unchanged from 2019. Unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. 732,994 people live here, up 2.1% since 2020, 2nd of 115 Missouri counties by population.
Who powers Jackson County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −105 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Jackson 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% |
| Evergy Metro | Investor Owned | Bundled | 273,860 | 13.72¢ | 51% |
| City of Independence - (MO) | Municipal | Bundled | 53,832 | 15.74¢ | 39% |
| West Central Electric Coop Inc - (MO) | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,280 | 12.28¢ | 22% |
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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 810 MW | 40% |
| Petroleum | 614 MW | 30% |
| Coal | 569 MW | 28% |
| Solar | 24 MW | 1% |
| Battery storage | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorn | Evergy Metro | Natural gas | 1,046 MW | 1969 |
| Northeast (MO) | Evergy Metro | Petroleum | 540 MW | 1972 |
| Greenwood (MO) | Evergy Missouri West | Natural gas | 288 MW | 1975 |
| Station H | City of Independence - (MO) | Natural gas | 43 MW | 1972 |
| Station I | City of Independence - (MO) | Petroleum | 38 MW | 1972 |
| Jackson Square | City of Independence - (MO) | Petroleum | 36 MW | 1969 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Valley | Natural gas | 115 MW | 2020 |
The Jackson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 374,810 | $74,439 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 23,635 | $95,075 | 1.19 |
| Electrical contractors | 3,612 | $106,820 | 1.34 |
| Power and communication line construction | 578 | $75,665 | 0.95 |
| Data processing and hosting | 2,378 | $77,009 | 2.04 |
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 Jackson County
16 data centers in Jackson County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 2
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180-day data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 | |
| Jackson County (moratorium vote delayed on two competing proposals), MO data center moratorium | In force | 2026-06 |
Delay Watchlist 1
| Project | Status | Cause | MW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Kansas City High-Rise Data Center (Quality Hill / Western Newspaper Union Building) | permit denied | — |
Jackson County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Jackson County, Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 732,994 | ● 0.0% | 2,018 MW | — | 16 | 2 |
| Cass County | 115,859 | ▲ 16.3% | 1,095 MW | — | — | — |
| Clay County | 265,032 | ▲ 6.0% | — | — | 33 | — |
| Johnson County KS | 636,906 | ▲ 5.3% | 447 MW | — | 14 | — |
| Johnson County | 56,670 | ▲ 4.6% | 321 MW | — | — | — |
| Lafayette County | 33,531 | ▲ 1.8% | 54 MW | — | — | — |
| Ray County | 23,398 | ▼ 0.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Wyandotte County KS | 170,597 | ▲ 3.5% | 510 MW | — | — | — |
More of Missouri
Jackson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Jackson County, Missouri?
4 utilities have service territory in Jackson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Missouri West, Evergy Metro, City of Independence - (MO), West Central Electric Coop Inc - (MO). The largest, Evergy Missouri West, charged residential customers 12.55¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Kansas City, MO in?
Most of Kansas City is in Jackson County: 320,794 of its 521,220 residents, or 62%. The rest of the city lies in Clay County, Platte County.
What county is Independence, MO in?
Independence is in Jackson County, Missouri. About 121,675 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lee's Summit, MO in?
Most of Lee's Summit is in Jackson County: 104,697 of its 107,514 residents, or 97%. The rest of the city lies in Cass County.
What power plants are in Jackson County?
11 operating plants with 2,018 MW of capacity. The largest is Hawthorn (1,046 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Jackson County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 16 data centers in Jackson County.
Is Jackson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 374,810 jobs in 2025 against 374,684 in 2019 (+0.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 19,008 to 23,635.
Does Jackson County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 2 local measures for Jackson County, 2 in force.