Custer County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Broken Bow
Local rules on data centers are on the record in Custer County. Custer County is home to Broken Bow, Arnold Township, Delight Township and Broken Bow Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “County moratorium on data centers”. Electrical contractors employ 43, up 19.4% since 2019 against up 17.5% statewide, at an average $45,656 a year. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including Arnold (petroleum, 1 MW, 2022). Its power plants have 166 MW of capacity, 92% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Custer County
Custer County is home to Broken Bow, Arnold Township, Delight Township and Broken Bow Township.
And 14 smaller places.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Westerville.
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 Custer County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,496 | 10,500 | ● 0.0% | 23rd of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,508 | 4,544 | ▲ 0.8% | 43rd of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $39,064 | $51,915 | ▲ 32.9% | — |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 36 | 43 | ▲ 19.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.4% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — |
Dawson Power District is the largest utility serving Custer County, one of 8 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.41¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.86¢ median for Nebraska utilities. Unemployment was 2.4% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Employers here counted 4,544 jobs in 2025, up 0.8% from 2019. 10,500 people live here, up 0.0% since 2020.
Who powers Custer County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: −1 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Custer County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 16,080 | 11.41¢ | 13% |
| Custer Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 4,707 | 12.71¢ | 22% |
| City of Ansley - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Arnold - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Broken Bow - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Callaway - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Loup Valleys Rural P P D | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Sargent - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 5
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 153 MW | 92% |
| Natural gas | 9 MW | 5% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Bow Wind LLC | Broken Bow Wind LLC | Wind | 80 MW | 2012 |
| Broken Bow Wind II, LLC | RWE Clean Energy | Wind | 73 MW | 2014 |
| Broken Bow | City of Broken Bow - (NE) | Natural gas | 9 MW | 1936 |
| Sargent | City of Sargent - (NE) | Petroleum | 2 MW | 1954 |
| Ansley | City of Ansley - (NE) | Natural gas | 2 MW | 1969 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2022 |
The Custer County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,544 | $51,915 | 1.00 |
| Electrical contractors | 43 | $45,656 | 1.31 |
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 Custer County
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| County moratorium on data centers | In force | — |
Custer County and its neighbors
Of the 9 counties that border Custer County, Lincoln 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County | 10,500 | ▲ 0.8% | 166 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Blaine County | 458 | ▲ 7.2% | — | — | — | — |
| Buffalo County | 51,172 | ▲ 3.6% | 7 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Dawson County | 24,452 | ▲ 2.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Garfield County | 1,710 | ▼ 3.5% | 4 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Lincoln County | 33,303 | ▲ 6.3% | 1,410 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Logan County | 669 | ▼ 13.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Loup County | 570 | ▼ 0.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Sherman County | 2,924 | ▼ 12.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Valley County | 4,094 | ▼ 3.1% | 12 MW | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Custer County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Custer County, Nebraska?
8 utilities have service territory in Custer County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Dawson Power District, Custer Public Power District, City of Ansley - (NE), Village of Arnold - (NE). The largest, Dawson Power District, charged residential customers 11.41¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Custer County?
5 operating plants with 166 MW of capacity. The largest is Broken Bow Wind LLC (80 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Custer County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Custer County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Buffalo County.
Is Custer County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,544 jobs in 2025 against 4,508 in 2019 (+0.8%, BLS QCEW).
Does Custer County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Custer County, 1 in force.