# Butler County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to David City

Butler County is one of the places pushing back on the data center build-out. Electrical contractors employ 56, up 80.6% since 2019 against up 17.5% statewide, at an average $62,460 a year. Butler County is home to David City, Alexis Township, Savannah Township and Oak Creek Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers for a stated term”. Unemployment was 2.1% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Its power plants have 11 MW of capacity, 55% of it petroleum.

11 MW
of operating power plants, mostly petroleum

+2.8%
total jobs since 2019, now 2,644

11.10¢
per kWh for Butler Public Power District - (NE) residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Butler County

Butler County is home to David City, Alexis Township, Savannah Township and Oak Creek Township.

David City3,068 residents
Alexis Township730 residents
Savannah Township550 residents
Oak Creek Township518 residents
Reading Township508 residents
Richardson Township441 residents
Bellwood414 residents
Bone Creek Township379 residents
Rising City362 residents
Brainard353 residents
Ulysses Township317 residents
Skull Creek Township254 residents
Dwight235 residents
Linwood Township215 residents
Franklin Township214 residents
Union Township208 residents
Olive Township206 residents
Summit Township198 residents
Ulysses190 residents
Center Township189 residents
Read Township178 residents
Plum Creek Township170 residents
Platte Township164 residents
Octavia107 residents

And 4 smaller places.

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 Butler County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 8,355 | 8,507 | ▲ 1.8% | 32nd of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,571 | 2,644 | ▲ 2.8% | 27th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,989 | $56,122 | ▲ 36.9% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 31 | 56 | ▲ 80.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.1% | ▼ 0.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |

Employers here counted 2,644 jobs in 2025, up 2.8% from 2019. Butler Public Power District - (NE) is the largest utility serving Butler County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.10¢/kWh in 2024. 8,507 people live here, up 1.8% since 2020.

## Who powers Butler County

### Utilities with service territory in Butler County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Public Power District - (NE) | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 4,774 | 11.10¢ | 18% |
| Village of Brainard - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of David City | — | — | — | — | — |
| Polk County Rural Pub Pwr Dist | — | — | — | — | — |

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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 6 MW | 55% |
| Natural gas | 5 MW | 45% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David City | City of David City -(NE) | Petroleum | 11 MW | 1949 |

## The Butler County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,644 | $56,122 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 56 | $62,460 | 2.94 |

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 Butler County

### Local measures 

| Measure | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers for a stated term | In force | 2026-06 |

## Butler County and its neighbors

Of the 8 counties that border Butler County, Lancaster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 8,507 | ▲ 2.8% | 11 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Colfax County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/colfax-county) | 10,934 | ▼ 1.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Dodge County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/dodge-county) | 38,057 | ▲ 5.8% | 178 MW | — | — | — |
| Lancaster County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/lancaster-county) | 334,049 | ▲ 2.3% | 811 MW | 852 MW | 3 | 1 |
| Platte County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/platte-county) | 35,649 | ▲ 3.7% | 138 MW | — | — | — |
| Polk County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/polk-county) | 5,270 | ▼ 3.7% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
| Saunders County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/saunders-county) | 23,702 | ▲ 9.8% | 95 MW | — | — | — |
| Seward County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/seward-county) | 18,032 | ▼ 1.3% | 3 MW | — | — | 1 |
| York County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/york-county) | 14,564 | ▲ 0.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Nebraska

[All Nebraska countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska)[Lancaster County334,049 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/lancaster-county)[Dodge County38,057 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/dodge-county)[Platte County35,649 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/platte-county)[Saunders County23,702 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/saunders-county)[Seward County18,032 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/seward-county)

## Butler County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Butler County, Nebraska?

4 utilities have service territory in Butler County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Butler Public Power District - (NE), Village of Brainard - (NE), City of David City, Polk County Rural Pub Pwr Dist. The largest, Butler Public Power District - (NE), charged residential customers 11.10¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Butler County?

1 operating plant with 11 MW of capacity. The largest is David City (11 MW, petroleum).

### Are there data centers in Butler County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Butler County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Lancaster County.

### Is Butler County adding jobs?

Employers counted 2,644 jobs in 2025 against 2,571 in 2019 (+2.8%, BLS QCEW).

### Does Butler County have a data center moratorium?

The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Butler County, 1 in force.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/nebraska/butler-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/).