Lafayette County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Odessa, Higginsville and Lexington
Lafayette 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. Lafayette County is home to Odessa, Higginsville, Lexington and Concordia. Next door, Jackson County has 16 data centers. Construction employs 548, up 9.8% since 2019. Its power plants have 54 MW of capacity, 74% of it natural gas. Electrical contractors employ 21, at an average $53,443 a year.
Cities and towns in Lafayette County
Lafayette County is home to Odessa, Higginsville, Lexington and Concordia.
- Oak Grove also extends into Jackson County.
- Emma also extends into Saline 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 Lafayette County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 33,059 | 33,531 | ▲ 1.4% | 36th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 8,597 | 8,754 | ▲ 1.8% | 58th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $33,555 | $46,938 | ▲ 39.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 499 | 548 | ▲ 9.8% | 49th of 71 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.1% | 3.7% | ▲ 0.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.7% in August 2026, against 3.1% in 2019. Employers here counted 8,754 jobs in 2025, up 1.8% from 2019. Evergy Missouri West is the largest utility serving Lafayette County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 12.55¢/kWh in 2024. 33,531 people live here, up 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Lafayette County
Utilities with service territory in Lafayette 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% |
| West Central Electric Coop Inc - (MO) | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,280 | 12.28¢ | 22% |
| City of Ava - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Higginsville - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Odessa - (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 | 40 MW | 74% |
| Petroleum | 12 MW | 21% |
| Solar | 2 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higginsville | City of Higginsville - (MO) | Petroleum | 52 MW | 1945 |
| Higginsville Solar Farm | Missouri Jnt Muni.Pwr Elec. Ut. Comm. | Solar | 2 MW | 2017 |
The Lafayette County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,754 | $46,938 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 548 | $55,787 | 1.18 |
| Electrical contractors | 21 | $53,443 | 0.33 |
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 Lafayette County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lafayette County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Jackson County.
Lafayette County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Lafayette County, Jackson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County | 33,531 | ▲ 1.8% | 54 MW | — | — | — |
| Carroll County | 8,417 | ▲ 5.1% | 21 MW | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 732,994 | ● 0.0% | 2,018 MW | — | 16 | 2 |
| Johnson County | 56,670 | ▲ 4.6% | 321 MW | — | — | — |
| Pettis County | 44,254 | ▲ 0.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Ray County | 23,398 | ▼ 0.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Saline County | 23,265 | ▲ 1.6% | 34 MW | 122 MW | — | — |
More of Missouri
Lafayette County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lafayette County, Missouri?
6 utilities have service territory in Lafayette County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Missouri West, Evergy Metro, West Central Electric Coop Inc - (MO), City of Ava - (MO). The largest, Evergy Missouri West, charged residential customers 12.55¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Lafayette County?
2 operating plants with 54 MW of capacity. The largest is Higginsville (52 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Lafayette County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lafayette County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Jackson County.
Is Lafayette County adding jobs?
Employers counted 8,754 jobs in 2025 against 8,597 in 2019 (+1.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 499 to 548.
Does Lafayette County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lafayette County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.