Pittsburg County, Oklahoma: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to McAlester, Krebs and Hartshorne
Pittsburg County is a power-producing county: the plants here serve load well beyond its borders. Pittsburg County is home to McAlester, Krebs, Hartshorne and Quinton. Construction employs 468, down 17.0% since 2019. Unemployment was 5.1% in August 2026, against 3.8% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,375 MW of capacity, 100% of it natural gas, the 10th largest fleet in Oklahoma. Employers here counted 14,742 jobs in 2025, down 9.7% from 2019.
Cities and towns in Pittsburg County
Pittsburg County is home to McAlester, Krebs, Hartshorne and Quinton.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Adamson, Arpelar, Bache, Blanco, Bug Tussle, Canadian Shores, Haywood, Longtown, Scipio.
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 Pittsburg County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Oklahoma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 43,792 | 43,320 | ▼ 1.1% | 24th of 77 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,333 | 14,742 | ▼ 9.7% | 68th of 77 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,450 | $51,982 | ▲ 11.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 564 | 468 | ▼ 17.0% | 42nd of 48 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 95 | 126 | ▲ 32.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.8% | 5.1% | ▲ 1.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co is the largest utility serving Pittsburg 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. 43,320 people live here, down 1.1% since 2020.
Who powers Pittsburg County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +5 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Pittsburg 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% |
| Kiamichi Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 18,685 | 12.90¢ | 19% |
| Cookson Hills Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,551 | 14.18¢ | 11% |
| People's Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,728 | 12.53¢ | 28% |
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 2
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,375 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiamichi Energy Facility | Kiowa Power Partners LLC | Natural gas | 1,370 MW | 2003 |
| Stuart (OK) | Peoples Electric Cooperative | Natural gas | 5 MW | 2023 |
The Pittsburg County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 14,742 | $51,982 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 468 | $63,819 | 0.60 |
| Electric utilities | 126 | $132,102 | 3.16 |
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 Pittsburg County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Pittsburg County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures on record statewide.
Pittsburg County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Pittsburg County, Pushmataha 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg County | 43,320 | ▼ 9.7% | 1,375 MW | — | — | — |
| Atoka County | 14,609 | ▲ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Coal County | 5,436 | ▼ 8.0% | 62 MW | — | — | — |
| Haskell County | 11,787 | ▼ 7.8% | 90 MW | — | — | — |
| Hughes County | 13,455 | ▼ 8.0% | 8 MW | — | — | — |
| Latimer County | 9,645 | ▲ 31.0% | — | — | — | — |
| McIntosh County | 19,758 | ▲ 8.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Pushmataha County | 10,807 | ▲ 0.2% | 100 MW | — | — | — |
More of Oklahoma
Pittsburg County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma?
5 utilities have service territory in Pittsburg County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, Public Service Co of Oklahoma, Kiamichi Electric Coop, Inc, Cookson Hills Elec Coop, Inc. The largest, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co, charged residential customers 11.78¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is McAlester, OK in?
McAlester is in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. About 18,044 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Pittsburg County?
2 operating plants with 1,375 MW of capacity. The largest is Kiamichi Energy Facility (1,370 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Pittsburg County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Pittsburg County.
Is Pittsburg County adding jobs?
Employers counted 14,742 jobs in 2025 against 16,333 in 2019 (-9.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 564 to 468.
Does Pittsburg County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Pittsburg County. Oklahoma has 15 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.