Hughes County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Holdenville and Wetumka
Hughes 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. Hughes County is home to Holdenville and Wetumka. Employers here counted 2,840 jobs in 2025, down 8.0% from 2019. 8 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Unemployment was 6.4% in August 2026, against 5.5% in 2019. Its power plants have 8 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas.
Cities and towns in Hughes County
Hughes County is home to Holdenville and Wetumka.
- Allen also extends into Pontotoc County.
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 Hughes County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,348 | 13,455 | ▲ 0.8% | 50th of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,086 | 2,840 | ▼ 8.0% | 62nd of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $32,527 | $42,178 | ▲ 29.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 47 | 29 | ▼ 38.3% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.5% | 6.4% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 8 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Hughes County, one of 5 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.78¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.53¢ median for Oklahoma utilities. 13,455 people live here, up 0.8% since 2020.
Who powers Hughes County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +8 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Hughes 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% |
| Public Service Co of Oklahoma | Investor Owned | Bundled | 501,093 | 12.73¢ | 36% |
| Canadian Valley Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 24,605 | 11.90¢ | 26% |
| People's Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,728 | 12.53¢ | 28% |
| City of Wetumka - (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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 8 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzard Flop | Peoples Electric Cooperative | Natural gas | 8 MW | 2023 |
The Hughes County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 2,840 | $42,178 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 29 | $42,487 | 0.19 |
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 Hughes County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Hughes County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures on record statewide.
Hughes County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Hughes County, Seminole 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes County | 13,455 | ▼ 8.0% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Coal County | 5,436 | ▼ 8.0% | 62 MW | — | — | — |
| McIntosh County | 19,758 | ▲ 8.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Okfuskee County | 11,451 | ▲ 2.7% | 110 MW | — | — | — |
| Pittsburg County | 43,320 | ▼ 9.7% | 1,375 MW | — | — | — |
| Pontotoc County | 38,528 | ▲ 7.8% | 152 MW | — | — | — |
| Seminole County | 23,441 | ▼ 5.3% | 1,701 MW | — | — | — |
More of Oklahoma
Hughes County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Hughes County, Oklahoma?
5 utilities have service territory in Hughes County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Public Service Co of Oklahoma, Canadian Valley Elec Coop, Inc, People's Electric Cooperative. The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Hughes County?
1 operating plant with 8 MW of capacity. The largest is Buzzard Flop (8 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Hughes County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Hughes County.
Is Hughes County adding jobs?
Employers counted 2,840 jobs in 2025 against 3,086 in 2019 (-8.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 47 to 29.
Does Hughes County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Hughes County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.