Wayne County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Piedmont
No data center or power plant project is on record in Wayne County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Wayne County is home to Piedmont. Next door, Bollinger County has 400 MW of planned generation. Employers here counted 2,272 jobs in 2025, down 8.6% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.3% in August 2026, against 5.8% in 2019. Ozark Border Electric Coop is the largest utility serving Wayne County, one of 2 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.66¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.79¢ median for Missouri utilities.
Cities and towns in Wayne County
Wayne County is home to Piedmont.
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 Wayne County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,937 | 10,782 | ▼ 1.4% | 80th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,485 | 2,272 | ▼ 8.6% | 107th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $26,282 | $39,827 | ▲ 51.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.8% | 5.3% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
10,782 people live here, down 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Wayne County
Utilities with service territory in Wayne County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozark Border Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 33,229 | 11.66¢ | 23% |
| 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 Wayne County in the EIA-860M inventory. Its power comes over the grid from plants elsewhere.
The Wayne County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,272 | $39,827 | 1.00 |
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 Wayne County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wayne County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide.
Wayne County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Wayne County, Bollinger 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 10,782 | ▼ 8.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Bollinger County | 10,646 | ▼ 0.6% | — | 400 MW | — | — |
| Butler County | 41,904 | ▼ 0.2% | 34 MW | — | — | — |
| Carter County | 5,418 | ▼ 5.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Iron County | 9,318 | ▲ 0.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Madison County | 12,858 | ▼ 3.1% | 28 MW | — | — | — |
| Reynolds County | 5,992 | ▼ 12.8% | 408 MW | — | — | — |
| Stoddard County | 28,284 | ▼ 0.1% | 121 MW | — | — | — |
More of Missouri
Wayne County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wayne County, Missouri?
2 utilities have service territory in Wayne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ozark Border Electric Coop, Black River Electric Coop - (MO). The largest, Ozark Border Electric Coop, charged residential customers 11.66¢/kWh on average in 2024.
Are there data centers in Wayne County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wayne County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Bollinger County.
Is Wayne County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,272 jobs in 2025 against 2,485 in 2019 (-8.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wayne County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wayne County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.