Austin County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Sealy, Bellville and Wallis
Austin County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Austin County. Construction employs 1,224, up 35.5% since 2019, and construction is 1.7 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Austin County is home to Sealy, Bellville, Wallis and San Felipe. Employers here counted 13,541 jobs in 2025, up 27.0% from 2019. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Moratorium on AI data centers and battery energy storage systems”.
Cities and towns in Austin County
Austin County is home to Sealy, Bellville, Wallis and San Felipe.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): New Ulm.
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 Austin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 30,133 | 33,625 | ▲ 11.6% | 89th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 10,659 | 13,541 | ▲ 27.0% | 23rd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $49,650 | $73,461 | ▲ 48.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 903 | 1,224 | ▲ 35.5% | 53rd of 155 by growth |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7 | 34 | ▲ 385.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.0pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 200 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 1 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 800 MW | 381% of today's fleet | 30th of 149 by size |
800 MW of new generation is planned here across 3 units, led by Vesper Energy Development LLC (battery storage). 200 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. 1 MW has retired here since 2019, including E-Volve Energy Holdings LLC (solar, 1 MW, 2025). Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. 33,625 people live here, up 11.6% since 2020. Its power plants have 210 MW of capacity, 95% of it battery storage. Electrical contractors employ 78, at an average $130,126 a year. CenterPoint Energy is the largest utility serving Austin County, one of 5 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.
Who powers Austin County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +199 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Austin County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenterPoint Energy | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 2,485,470 | — | — |
| Bluebonnet Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 113,890 | 11.42¢ | 42% |
| San Bernard Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 31,774 | 14.16¢ | 14% |
| Fayette Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,150 | 12.54¢ | 18% |
| City of Bellville - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery storage | 200 MW | 95% |
| Solar | 10 MW | 5% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sealy BESS | Sealy Power, LLC | Battery storage | 200 MW | 2025 |
| Bovine | Cypress Creek Renewables | Solar | 10 MW | 2018 |
Planned generation 3
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrose Renewable Energy | Solar Photovoltaic | 300 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Sunrose Renewable Energy | Batteries | 300 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2027 | Vesper Energy Development LLC |
| Prost ESS | Batteries | 200 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2029 | Prost ESS LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-Volve Energy Holdings LLC | Solar | 1 MW | 2025 |
The Austin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,541 | $73,461 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,224 | $81,280 | 1.71 |
| Electrical contractors | 78 | $130,126 | 0.80 |
| Power and communication line construction | 9 | $105,568 | 0.41 |
| Data processing and hosting | 34 | $81,849 | 0.81 |
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 Austin County
1 data center in Austin County is on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moratorium on AI data centers and battery energy storage systems | In force | 2026-07 |
Austin County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Austin County, Wharton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin County | 33,625 | ▲ 27.0% | 210 MW | 800 MW | 1 | 1 |
| Colorado County | 21,439 | ▲ 7.1% | 51 MW | 142 MW | — | — |
| Fayette County | 25,459 | ▲ 1.0% | 2,172 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Fort Bend County | 975,191 | ▲ 33.0% | 7,211 MW | 360 MW | — | — |
| Waller County | 69,858 | ▲ 40.7% | 480 MW | — | — | — |
| Washington County | 38,288 | ▲ 10.2% | — | 60 MW | — | — |
| Wharton County | 42,060 | ▼ 0.8% | 3,912 MW | 2,229 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Austin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Austin County, Texas?
5 utilities have service territory in Austin County in the EIA-861 2024 report: CenterPoint Energy, Bluebonnet Electric Coop, Inc, San Bernard Electric Coop, Inc, Fayette Electric Coop, Inc.
What power plants are in Austin County?
2 operating plants with 210 MW of capacity. The largest is Sealy BESS (200 MW, battery storage).
How much new power is planned in Austin County?
800 MW across 3 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Vesper Energy Development LLC.
Are there data centers in Austin County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 1 data center in Austin County.
Is Austin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,541 jobs in 2025 against 10,659 in 2019 (+27.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 903 to 1,224.
Does Austin County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Austin County, 1 in force.