# Ozark County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Pontiac and Sundown No data center or power plant project is on record in Ozark County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Ozark County is home to Gainesville. Employers here counted 1,519 jobs in 2025, up 3.8% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 5.9% in 2019. White River Valley El Coop Inc is the largest utility serving Ozark County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.30¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.79¢ median for Missouri utilities. 9,172 people live here, up 7.7% since 2020. +3.8% total jobs since 2019, now 1,519 14.30¢ per kWh for White River Valley El Coop Inc residential customers, 2024 9,172 residents, 2025 ## Cities and towns in Ozark County Ozark County is home to Gainesville. Gainesville784 residents Theodosia207 residents Bakersfield191 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Pontiac, Sundown, Wasola. 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 Ozark County | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,518 | 9,172 | ▲ 7.7% | 90th of 115 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,463 | 1,519 | ▲ 3.8% | 46th of 115 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $26,392 | $34,868 | ▲ 32.1% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 41 | 42 | ▲ 2.4% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.9% | 5.3% | ▼ 0.6pts | — | ## Who powers Ozark County ### Utilities with service territory in Ozark County | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | White River Valley El Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 39,216 | 14.30¢ | 31% | | Howell-Oregon Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 23,101 | 12.54¢ | 14% | 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 Ozark County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere. ## The Ozark County labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 1,519 | $34,868 | 1.00 | | Construction | 42 | $32,489 | 0.52 | 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 Ozark County No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ozark County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide. ## Ozark County and its neighbors Of the 6 counties that border Ozark County, Marion 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 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Ozark County | 9,172 | ▲ 3.8% | — | — | — | — | | Baxter County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arkansas/baxter-county) AR | 42,982 | ▲ 11.0% | 80 MW | — | — | — | | Douglas County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/douglas-county) | 12,342 | ▲ 3.6% | — | — | — | — | | Fulton County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arkansas/fulton-county) AR | 12,492 | ▼ 13.7% | 1 MW | — | — | — | | Howell County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/howell-county) | 40,798 | ▼ 0.5% | 55 MW | — | — | — | | Marion County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/arkansas/marion-county) AR | 17,593 | ▼ 21.2% | 340 MW | — | — | — | | Taney County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/taney-county) | 57,001 | ▼ 2.1% | 216 MW | — | — | — | ## More of Missouri [All Missouri countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri)[Taney County57,001 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/taney-county)[Howell County40,798 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/howell-county)[Douglas County12,342 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/douglas-county) ## Ozark County, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Ozark County, Missouri? 2 utilities have service territory in Ozark County in the EIA-861 2024 report: White River Valley El Coop Inc, Howell-Oregon Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, White River Valley El Coop Inc, charged residential customers 14.30¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### Are there data centers in Ozark County? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ozark County. ### Is Ozark County adding jobs? Employers counted 1,519 jobs in 2025 against 1,463 in 2019 (+3.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 41 to 42. ### Does Ozark County have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Ozark County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/missouri/ozark-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/).