Wright County, Missouri: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Mountain Grove and Mansfield
Wright 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. Wright County is home to most of Mountain Grove (4,586 of its 4,754 residents), Mansfield, Hartville and Norwood. Employers here counted 4,678 jobs in 2025, up 15.3% from 2019 (the 9th fastest growth of 115 Missouri counties). Next door, Webster County has 1 data center. Unemployment was 4.5% in August 2026, against 5.3% in 2019. Its power plants have 4 MW of capacity, 100% of it other technologies.
Cities and towns in Wright County
Wright County is home to most of Mountain Grove (4,586 of its 4,754 residents), Mansfield, Hartville and Norwood.
- Mountain Grove also extends into Texas County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Grovespring.
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 Wright County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 18,209 | 19,671 | ▲ 8.0% | 57th of 115 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,057 | 4,678 | ▲ 15.3% | 9th of 115 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,051 | $41,388 | ▲ 33.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.3% | 4.5% | ▼ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
19,671 people live here, up 8.0% since 2020. Laclede Electric Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Wright County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.73¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.79¢ median for Missouri utilities.
Who powers Wright County
Utilities with service territory in Wright County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laclede Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 35,026 | 11.73¢ | 18% |
| Intercounty Electric Coop Assn - (MO) | Cooperative | Bundled | 29,956 | 13.01¢ | 13% |
| Webster Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,820 | 10.19¢ | 26% |
| City of Mansfield - (MO) | — | — | — | — | — |
| SE-MA-NO Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other technologies | 4 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Oak Power Producers | Cube District Energy, LLC | Other technologies | 4 MW | 2014 |
The Wright County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,678 | $41,388 | 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 Wright County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Wright County. Missouri has 21 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Webster County.
Wright County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Wright County, Webster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright County | 19,671 | ▲ 15.3% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Douglas County | 12,342 | ▲ 3.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Laclede County | 36,943 | ▼ 6.6% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Texas County | 25,994 | ▲ 6.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Webster County | 43,054 | ▲ 12.7% | — | — | 1 | 1 |
More of Missouri
Wright County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wright County, Missouri?
5 utilities have service territory in Wright County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Laclede Electric Coop, Inc, Intercounty Electric Coop Assn - (MO), Webster Electric Coop, City of Mansfield - (MO). The largest, Laclede Electric Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 11.73¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Wright County?
1 operating plant with 4 MW of capacity. The largest is Black Oak Power Producers (4 MW, other technologies).
Are there data centers in Wright County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Wright County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Webster County.
Is Wright County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,678 jobs in 2025 against 4,057 in 2019 (+15.3%, BLS QCEW).
Does Wright County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Wright County. Missouri has 21 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.