Beaver County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Beaver
No data center or power plant project is on record in Beaver County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Beaver County is home to Beaver. Employers here counted 1,298 jobs in 2025, down 20.6% from 2019. Next door, Ochiltree County, Texas, has 316 MW of planned generation. 300 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Its power plants have 798 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind.
Cities and towns in Beaver County
Beaver County is home to Beaver.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Little Ponderosa, Turpin.
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 Beaver County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 5,028 | 4,882 | ▼ 2.9% | 70th of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,634 | 1,298 | ▼ 20.6% | 75th of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,645 | $52,256 | ▲ 14.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.1% | 2.9% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 300 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 2.9% in August 2026, against 2.1% in 2019. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Beaver County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.78¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.53¢ median for Oklahoma utilities. 4,882 people live here, down 2.9% since 2020.
Who powers Beaver County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +300 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Beaver County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 710,123 | 11.78¢ | 44% |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (OK) | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,212 | 15.87¢ | 32% |
| Northwestern Electric Coop Inc - (OK) | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,620 | 15.28¢ | 32% |
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 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 798 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balko Wind LLC | Balko Wind LLC | Wind | 300 MW | 2015 |
| Ponderosa Wind Energy Center | Ponderosa Wind, LLC | Wind | 200 MW | 2020 |
| Bluestem | Bluestem Wind Energy, LLC | Wind | 198 MW | 2016 |
| Ponderosa Wind II | Ponderosa Wind II, LLC | Wind | 100 MW | 2024 |
The Beaver County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,298 | $52,256 | 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 Beaver County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Beaver County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures on record statewide.
Beaver County and its neighbors
Of the 8 counties that border Beaver County, Ochiltree 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver County | 4,882 | ▼ 20.6% | 798 MW | — | — | — |
| Clark County KS | 1,900 | ▲ 15.3% | 604 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellis County | 3,613 | ▼ 3.8% | 475 MW | — | — | — |
| Harper County | 3,172 | ▲ 1.9% | 237 MW | — | — | — |
| Lipscomb County TX | 2,955 | ▼ 12.3% | — | — | — | — |
| Meade County KS | 3,852 | ▲ 1.2% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Ochiltree County TX | 9,284 | ▼ 8.1% | 282 MW | 316 MW | — | — |
| Seward County KS | 21,073 | ▲ 3.7% | 68 MW | — | — | — |
| Texas County | 20,322 | ▲ 2.8% | 201 MW | 102 MW | — | — |
More of Oklahoma
Beaver County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Beaver County, Oklahoma?
3 utilities have service territory in Beaver County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (OK), Northwestern Electric Coop Inc - (OK). The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Beaver County?
4 operating plants with 798 MW of capacity. The largest is Balko Wind LLC (300 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Beaver County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Beaver County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Ochiltree County.
Is Beaver County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,298 jobs in 2025 against 1,634 in 2019 (-20.6%, BLS QCEW).
Does Beaver County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Beaver County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.