# Payne County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Stillwater, Cushing and Perkins

The data center boom is not abstract in Payne County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Payne County. Payne County is home to Stillwater, Cushing, Perkins and Yale. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Google Stillwater Data Center Campus (up to 6 buildings). 419 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Associated Electric Coop, Inc (natural gas), the 5th largest pipeline among Oklahoma's counties. 419 MW of it is already under construction or built. Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019.

1
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

419 MW
of new generation planned here, natural gas leading

-25.4%
electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 135

## Cities and towns in Payne County

Payne County is home to Stillwater, Cushing, Perkins and Yale.

Stillwater50,046 residents
Cushing8,390 residents
Perkins3,271 residents
Yale1,054 residents
Glencoe512 residents
Ripley353 residents
Drumright73 residents · 3% of the city
- Drumright also extends into [Creek County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/creek-county).

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Ingalls, Mehan, Quay.

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 Payne County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 81,647 | 83,889 | ▲ 2.7% | 8th of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 33,605 | 35,314 | ▲ 5.1% | 25th of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $42,714 | $53,788 | ▲ 25.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,520 | 1,638 | ▲ 7.8% | 31st of 48 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 181 | 135 | ▼ 25.4% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.1% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 8 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 419 MW | 517% of today's fleet | 5th of 12 by size |

Construction employs 1,638, up 7.8% since 2019. 8 MW has retired here since 2019, including Boomer Lake Station (petroleum, 6 MW, 2022). Employers here counted 35,314 jobs in 2025, up 5.1% from 2019. Its power plants have 81 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Payne County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 11.78¢/kWh in 2024, below the 12.53¢ median for Oklahoma utilities. 83,889 people live here, up 2.7% since 2020, 8th of 77 Oklahoma counties by population. Electrical contractors employ 135, down 25.4% since 2019 against up 8.3% statewide, at an average $50,513 a year.

## Who powers Payne County

### Utilities with service territory in Payne 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% |
| Stillwater Utilities Authority | Municipal | Bundled | 19,640 | 13.25¢ | 42% |
| Indian Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,839 | 12.57¢ | 35% |
| City of Cushing - (OK) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Yale - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 81 MW | 100% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Energy Center | Stillwater Utilities Authority | Natural gas | 56 MW | 2016 |
| Cushing | City of Cushing - (OK) | Natural gas | 25 MW | 1936 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley Energy Center | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 419 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Associated Electric Coop, Inc |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boomer Lake Station | Petroleum | 6 MW | 2022 |
| Stillwater Water Treatment Plant | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2022 |

## The Payne County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 35,314 | $53,788 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,638 | $69,421 | 0.88 |
| Electrical contractors | 135 | $50,513 | 0.53 |

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 Payne County

1 data center in Payne County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

### Delay Watchlist 

| Project | Status | Cause | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Stillwater Data Center Campus (up to 6 buildings) | under construction amid water concerns | community oppositionwater capacity constraints | — |

## Payne County and its neighbors

Of the 5 counties that border Payne County, Noble 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payne County | 83,889 | ▲ 5.1% | 81 MW | 419 MW | 1 | — |
| Creek County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/creek-county) | 74,967 | ▲ 10.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/lincoln-county) | 35,278 | ▲ 9.5% | — | — | — | — |
| Logan County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/logan-county) | 55,473 | ▲ 21.3% | 1,146 MW | — | — | — |
| Noble County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/noble-county) | 10,899 | ▼ 1.7% | 1,656 MW | — | — | — |
| Pawnee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/pawnee-county) | 16,029 | ▼ 4.5% | — | 200 MW | — | — |

## More of Oklahoma

[All Oklahoma countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma)[Creek County74,967 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/creek-county)[Logan County55,473 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/logan-county)[Lincoln County35,278 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/lincoln-county)[Pawnee County16,029 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/pawnee-county)[Noble County10,899 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/noble-county)

## Payne County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Payne County, Oklahoma?

6 utilities have service territory in Payne County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Central Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc, Stillwater Utilities Authority, Indian Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Stillwater, OK in?

Stillwater is in Payne County, Oklahoma. About 50,046 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Payne County?

2 operating plants with 81 MW of capacity. The largest is Stillwater Energy Center (56 MW, natural gas).

### How much new power is planned in Payne County?

419 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 419 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Associated Electric Coop, Inc.

### Are there data centers in Payne County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Payne County.

### Is Payne County adding jobs?

Employers counted 35,314 jobs in 2025 against 33,605 in 2019 (+5.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,520 to 1,638.

### Does Payne County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Payne County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/oklahoma/payne-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).