Gosper County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Gosper 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. Gosper County is home to Elwood. Its power plants have 153 MW of capacity, 71% of it natural gas. Employers here counted 426 jobs in 2025, up 2.2% from 2019. Dawson Power District is the largest utility serving Gosper County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.41¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.86¢ median for Nebraska utilities. 1,803 people live here, down 4.9% since 2020.
Cities and towns in Gosper County
Gosper County is home to Elwood.
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 Gosper County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,895 | 1,803 | ▼ 4.9% | 76th of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 417 | 426 | ▲ 2.2% | 35th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,134 | $51,569 | ▲ 35.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.9% | 2.9% | ● 0.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 2.9% in 2019.
Who powers Gosper County
Utilities with service territory in Gosper 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% |
| Southern Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 15,215 | 9.21¢ | 27% |
| 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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 109 MW | 71% |
| Hydro | 44 MW | 29% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaday | Nebraska Public Power District | Natural gas | 109 MW | 1958 |
| Johnson 2 | Central Nebraska Pub P&I Dist | Hydro | 22 MW | 1941 |
| Johnson 1 | Central Nebraska Pub P&I Dist | Hydro | 22 MW | 1941 |
The Gosper County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 426 | $51,569 | 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 Gosper County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Gosper County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Furnas County.
Gosper County and its neighbors
Of the 4 counties that border Gosper County, Furnas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gosper County | 1,803 | ▲ 2.2% | 153 MW | — | — | — |
| Dawson County | 24,452 | ▲ 2.6% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Frontier County | 2,655 | ▼ 12.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Furnas County | 4,524 | ▼ 8.3% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Phelps County | 8,994 | ▲ 2.5% | — | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Gosper County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Gosper County, Nebraska?
4 utilities have service territory in Gosper County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Dawson Power District, Southern Public Power District, McCook Public Power District, Twin Valleys Public Power Dist. The largest, Dawson Power District, charged residential customers 11.41¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Gosper County?
3 operating plants with 153 MW of capacity. The largest is Canaday (109 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Gosper County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Gosper County.
Is Gosper County adding jobs?
Employers counted 426 jobs in 2025 against 417 in 2019 (+2.2%, BLS QCEW).
Does Gosper County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Gosper County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.