Red Willow County, Nebraska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to McCook
No data center or power plant project is on record in Red Willow County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Red Willow County is home to McCook and Indianola. Construction employs 214, up 12.6% since 2019. Its power plants have 57 MW of capacity, 100% of it petroleum. Employers here counted 4,879 jobs in 2025, down 2.4% from 2019. Nebraska Public Power District is the largest utility serving Red Willow County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 10.63¢/kWh in 2024.
Cities and towns in Red Willow County
Red Willow County is home to McCook and Indianola.
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 Red Willow County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,682 | 10,307 | ▼ 3.5% | 25th of 93 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,999 | 4,879 | ▼ 2.4% | 65th of 93 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,804 | $49,221 | ▲ 30.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 190 | 214 | ▲ 12.6% | 20th of 35 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 2.6% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.6% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. 10,307 people live here, down 3.5% since 2020.
Who powers Red Willow County
Utilities with service territory in Red Willow County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Public Power District | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 73,650 | 10.63¢ | 28% |
| Southwest Public Power Dist | Political Subdivision | Bundled | 2,186 | 10.16¢ | 23% |
| Village of Bartley - (NE) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Indianola - (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 57 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCook | Nebraska Public Power District | Petroleum | 57 MW | 1973 |
The Red Willow County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,879 | $49,221 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 214 | $54,125 | 0.83 |
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 Red Willow County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Red Willow County. Nebraska has 23 local measures on record statewide, and 1 neighboring county has one: Furnas County.
Red Willow County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Red Willow 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Willow County | 10,307 | ▼ 2.4% | 57 MW | — | — | — |
| Decatur County KS | 2,716 | ▼ 10.5% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Frontier County | 2,655 | ▼ 12.4% | 3 MW | — | — | — |
| Furnas County | 4,524 | ▼ 8.3% | 7 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Hitchcock County | 2,467 | ▼ 0.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Rawlins County KS | 2,431 | ▲ 5.0% | — | — | — | — |
More of Nebraska
Red Willow County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Red Willow County, Nebraska?
6 utilities have service territory in Red Willow County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Nebraska Public Power District, Southwest Public Power Dist, Village of Bartley - (NE), City of Indianola - (NE). The largest, Nebraska Public Power District, charged residential customers 10.63¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Red Willow County?
1 operating plant with 57 MW of capacity. The largest is McCook (57 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Red Willow County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Red Willow County.
Is Red Willow County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,879 jobs in 2025 against 4,999 in 2019 (-2.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 190 to 214.
Does Red Willow County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Red Willow County. Nebraska has 23 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.