# Bastrop County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Bastrop and Elgin, and the communities of Cedar Creek

Bastrop County sits inside the data center build-out. Construction employs 2,025, up 66.5% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Bastrop County. Bastrop County is home to Bastrop, most of Elgin (11,412 of its 13,327 residents) and Smithville, plus the unincorporated community of Cedar Creek. Employers here counted 23,427 jobs in 2025, up 25.0% from 2019. 80 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by RWE Clean Energy (battery storage). 80 MW of it is already under construction or built.

2
data centers on the SAVRN Data Center Map

+25.0%
total jobs since 2019, now 23,427

80 MW
of new generation planned here, battery storage leading

## Cities and towns in Bastrop County

Bastrop County is home to Bastrop, most of Elgin (11,412 of its 13,327 residents) and Smithville, plus the unincorporated community of Cedar Creek.

Bastrop13,383 residents
Elgin11,412 residents · 86% of the city
Smithville4,367 residents
- Elgin also extends into [Travis County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/travis-county).

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Cedar Creek, Camp Swift, Circle D-KC Estates, McDade, Paige, Red Rock, Rosanky, Wyldwood.

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 Bastrop County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 98,060 | 118,908 | ▲ 21.3% | 42nd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,737 | 23,427 | ▲ 25.0% | 27th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $40,661 | $54,668 | ▲ 34.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,216 | 2,025 | ▲ 66.5% | 19th of 155 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.0% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 200 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW |  | — |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 80 MW | 4% of today's fleet | 140th of 149 by size |

Its power plants have 2,051 MW of capacity, 90% of it natural gas. 118,908 people live here, up 21.3% since 2020. 200 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 159, at an average $59,395 a year. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Bastrop County, one of 5 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.

## Who powers Bastrop County

### Utilities with service territory in Bastrop County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 3,477,215 | — | — |
| Bluebonnet Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 113,890 | 11.42¢ | 42% |
| Fayette Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 14,150 | 12.54¢ | 18% |
| City of Bastrop - (TX) | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Smithville - (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 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,851 MW | 90% |
| Solar | 200 MW | 10% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sim Gideon | Lower Colorado River Authority | Natural gas | 623 MW | 1965 |
| Bastrop Energy Center | Bastrop Energy Partners, LP | Natural gas | 619 MW | 2002 |
| Lost Pines 1 Power Project | Lower Colorado River Authority | Natural gas | 609 MW | 2001 |
| Big Star Solar, LLC (Hybrid) | RWE Clean Energy | Solar | 200 MW | 2025 |

### Planned generation 

| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Star Solar, LLC (Hybrid) | Batteries | 80 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | RWE Clean Energy |

## The Bastrop County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 23,427 | $54,668 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 2,025 | $75,541 | 1.63 |
| Electrical contractors | 159 | $59,395 | 0.94 |

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 Bastrop County

2 data centers in Bastrop County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.

## Bastrop County and its neighbors

Of the 6 counties that border Bastrop County, Travis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastrop County | 118,908 | ▲ 25.0% | 2,051 MW | 80 MW | 2 | — |
| Caldwell County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/caldwell-county) | 55,150 | ▲ 25.3% | 368 MW | 200 MW | 1 | — |
| Fayette County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/fayette-county) | 25,459 | ▲ 1.0% | 2,172 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Gonzales County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/gonzales-county) | 20,159 | ▼ 0.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
| Lee County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/lee-county) | 18,729 | ▲ 0.5% | — | 1,290 MW | — | — |
| Travis County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/travis-county) | 1,389,670 | ▲ 19.9% | 1,624 MW | 2 MW | 25 | — |
| Williamson County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/williamson-county) | 752,827 | ▲ 31.3% | 214 MW | — | 6 | — |

## More of Texas

[All Texas countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas)[Travis County1,389,670 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/travis-county)[Williamson County752,827 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/williamson-county)[Caldwell County55,150 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/caldwell-county)[Fayette County25,459 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/fayette-county)[Gonzales County20,159 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/gonzales-county)

## Bastrop County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Bastrop County, Texas?

5 utilities have service territory in Bastrop County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Bluebonnet Electric Coop, Inc, Fayette Electric Coop, Inc, City of Bastrop - (TX).

### What county is Bastrop, TX in?

Bastrop is in Bastrop County, Texas. About 13,383 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What county is Elgin, TX in?

Most of Elgin is in Bastrop County: 11,412 of its 13,327 residents, or 86%. The rest of the city lies in Travis County.

### What power plants are in Bastrop County?

4 operating plants with 2,051 MW of capacity. The largest is Sim Gideon (623 MW, natural gas).

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

80 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 80 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is RWE Clean Energy.

### Are there data centers in Bastrop County?

Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 2 data centers in Bastrop County.

### Is Bastrop County adding jobs?

Employers counted 23,427 jobs in 2025 against 18,737 in 2019 (+25.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,216 to 2,025.

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

No county-level measure is on record for Bastrop County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/texas/bastrop-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/).