Harper County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Laverne and Buffalo
No data center or power plant project is on record in Harper County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Harper County is home to Laverne and Buffalo. Its power plants have 237 MW of capacity, 98% of it wind. Employers here counted 1,094 jobs in 2025, up 1.9% from 2019. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Harper 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. Unemployment was 2.6% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Harper County
Harper County is home to Laverne and Buffalo.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Selman.
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 Harper County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,246 | 3,172 | ▼ 2.3% | 75th of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,074 | 1,094 | ▲ 1.9% | 33rd of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $38,260 | $49,377 | ▲ 29.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 2.6% | ▼ 0.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
3,172 people live here, down 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Harper County
Utilities with service territory in Harper 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% |
| Northwestern Electric Coop Inc - (OK) | Cooperative | Bundled | 9,620 | 15.28¢ | 32% |
| Town of Laverne - (OK) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | 233 MW | 98% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial Wind Farm | Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co | Wind | 120 MW | 2006 |
| Sleeping Bear LLC | NRG Energy Gas & Wind Holdings Inc | Wind | 94 MW | 2007 |
| Buffalo Bear LLC | Buffalo Bear, LLC | Wind | 19 MW | 2008 |
| Laverne Diesel Generating Plant | Town of Laverne - (OK) | Petroleum | 4 MW | 2006 |
The Harper County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 1,094 | $49,377 | 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 Harper County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Harper County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures on record statewide.
Harper County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Harper County, Woodward 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper County | 3,172 | ▲ 1.9% | 237 MW | — | — | — |
| Beaver County | 4,882 | ▼ 20.6% | 798 MW | — | — | — |
| Clark County KS | 1,900 | ▲ 15.3% | 604 MW | — | — | — |
| Comanche County KS | 1,673 | ▲ 3.8% | 2 MW | — | — | — |
| Ellis County | 3,613 | ▼ 3.8% | 475 MW | — | — | — |
| Woods County | 8,443 | ▼ 5.3% | 203 MW | — | — | — |
| Woodward County | 19,827 | ▼ 7.5% | 1,047 MW | — | — | — |
More of Oklahoma
Harper County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Harper County, Oklahoma?
3 utilities have service territory in Harper County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Northwestern Electric Coop Inc - (OK), Town of Laverne - (OK). The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Harper County?
4 operating plants with 237 MW of capacity. The largest is Centennial Wind Farm (120 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Harper County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Harper County.
Is Harper County adding jobs?
Employers counted 1,094 jobs in 2025 against 1,074 in 2019 (+1.9%, BLS QCEW).
Does Harper County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Harper County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.