Frontier County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
No data center or power plant project is on record in Frontier County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Frontier County is home to Curtis. Employers here counted 764 jobs in 2025, down 12.4% from 2019. Its power plants have 3 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Unemployment was 3.6% in August 2026, against 4.1% in 2019. Dawson Power District is the largest utility serving Frontier County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.41¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.86¢ median for Nebraska utilities.
Cities and towns in Frontier County
Frontier County is home to Curtis.
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 Frontier County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 2,506 | 2,655 | ▲ 5.9% | 70th of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 872 | 764 | ▼ 12.4% | 88th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $34,287 | $43,237 | ▲ 26.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.1% | 3.6% | ▼ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
2,655 people live here, up 5.9% since 2020.
Who powers Frontier County
Utilities with service territory in Frontier 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% |
| Southwest Public Power Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 2,186 | 10.16¢ | 23% |
| City of Curtis - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| McCook Public Power District | — | — | — | — | — |
| Twin Valleys Public Power 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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 3 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis | City of Curtis - (NE) | Natural gas | 3 MW | 1955 |
The Frontier County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 764 | $43,237 | 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 Frontier County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Frontier County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 3 neighboring counties have one: Furnas County, Hayes County, Lincoln County.
Frontier County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Frontier 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier County | 2,655 | ▼ 12.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Dawson County | 24,452 | ▲ 2.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Furnas County | 4,524 | ▼ 8.3% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Gosper County | 1,803 | ▲ 2.2% | 153 MW | — | — | — |
| Hayes County | 821 | ▼ 9.1% | — | — | — | 1 |
| Hitchcock County | 2,467 | ▼ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County | 33,303 | ▲ 6.3% | 1,410 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Red Willow County | 10,307 | ▼ 2.4% | 57 MW | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Frontier County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Frontier County, Nebraska?
5 utilities have service territory in Frontier County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Dawson Power District, Southwest Public Power Dist, City of Curtis - (NE), McCook Public Power District. The largest, Dawson Power District, charged residential customers 11.41¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Frontier County?
1 operating plant with 3 MW of capacity. The largest is Curtis (3 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Frontier County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Frontier County.
Is Frontier County adding jobs?
Employers counted 764 jobs in 2025 against 872 in 2019 (-12.4%, BLS QCEW).
Does Frontier County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Frontier County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.