Noble County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Perry
Noble County hosts some of the generating capacity Oklahoma runs on. Noble County is home to Perry, Morrison and Billings. Next door, Payne County has 1 data center and 419 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 1,656 MW of capacity, 69% of it coal, the 8th largest fleet in Oklahoma. 220 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly wind. Construction employs 163, down 6.3% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Noble County
Noble County is home to Perry, Morrison and Billings.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lucien, Sumner.
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 Noble County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,925 | 10,899 | ▼ 0.2% | 53rd of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,755 | 4,672 | ▼ 1.7% | 45th of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $51,657 | $57,819 | ▲ 11.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 174 | 163 | ▼ 6.3% | 40th of 48 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 72 | 70 | ▼ 2.8% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.5% | 3.4% | ▲ 0.9pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 220 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 2.5% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 70, down 2.8% since 2019 against up 8.3% statewide, at an average $77,982 a year. Employers here counted 4,672 jobs in 2025, down 1.7% from 2019. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Noble 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. 10,899 people live here, down 0.2% since 2020.
Who powers Noble County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +220 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Noble 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% |
| Central Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 19,650 | 11.56¢ | 40% |
| Indian Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,839 | 12.57¢ | 35% |
| Kay Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 4,371 | 14.13¢ | 30% |
| City of Perry - (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 3
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 1,138 MW | 69% |
| Wind | 518 MW | 31% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sooner | Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co | Coal | 1,138 MW | 1979 |
| Thunder Ranch Wind Project | Thunder Ranch Wind Project, LLC | Wind | 298 MW | 2017 |
| Willow Creek Wind (OK) | Willow Creek Wind LLC | Wind | 220 MW | 2025 |
The Noble County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,672 | $57,819 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 163 | $61,310 | 0.66 |
| Electrical contractors | 70 | $77,982 | 2.08 |
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 Noble County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Noble County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures on record statewide.
Noble County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Noble County, Payne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 10,899 | ▼ 1.7% | 1,656 MW | — | — | — |
| Garfield County | 61,779 | ▼ 4.4% | 1,721 MW | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 4,067 | ▼ 4.8% | 299 MW | — | — | — |
| Kay County | 43,490 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,358 MW | — | — | — |
| Logan County | 55,473 | ▲ 21.3% | 1,146 MW | — | — | — |
| Osage County | 46,794 | ▲ 21.5% | 163 MW | — | — | — |
| Pawnee County | 16,029 | ▼ 4.5% | — | 200 MW | — | — |
| Payne County | 83,889 | ▲ 5.1% | 81 MW | 419 MW | 1 | — |
More of Oklahoma
Noble County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Noble County, Oklahoma?
5 utilities have service territory in Noble County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Central Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc, Indian Electric Coop, Inc, Kay Electric Coop. The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Noble County?
3 operating plants with 1,656 MW of capacity. The largest is Sooner (1,138 MW, coal).
Are there data centers in Noble County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Noble County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Payne County.
Is Noble County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,672 jobs in 2025 against 4,755 in 2019 (-1.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 174 to 163.
Does Noble County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Noble County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.