Calhoun County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Port Lavaca and Seadrift
Calhoun County hosts some of the generating capacity Texas runs on. Calhoun County is home to Port Lavaca, Seadrift and Point Comfort. Construction employs 3,146, down 4.0% since 2019, and construction is 4.5 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Matagorda County has 1,125 MW of planned generation. Its power plants have 1,785 MW of capacity, 86% of it natural gas. 450 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly natural gas.
Cities and towns in Calhoun County
Calhoun County is home to Port Lavaca, Seadrift and Point Comfort.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Alamo Beach, Magnolia Beach, Port O'Connor.
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 Calhoun County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 20,064 | 19,599 | ▼ 2.3% | 126th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,981 | 13,054 | ▲ 0.6% | 159th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $69,405 | $86,421 | ▲ 24.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,278 | 3,146 | ▼ 4.0% | 125th of 155 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.6% | 4.1% | ▲ 0.5pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 450 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 63 MW | — |
63 MW has retired here since 2019, including Point Comfort Operations (natural gas, 63 MW, 2019). Unemployment was 4.1% in August 2026, against 3.6% in 2019. AEP Texas Central Company is the largest utility serving Calhoun County, one of 3 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. Employers here counted 13,054 jobs in 2025, up 0.6% from 2019. 19,599 people live here, down 2.3% since 2020.
Who powers Calhoun County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +387 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Calhoun County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas Central Company | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 784,148 | — | — |
| Victoria Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 21,500 | 12.13¢ | 8% |
| Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,620 | 13.42¢ | 5% |
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 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,532 MW | 86% |
| Solar | 196 MW | 11% |
| Other technologies | 46 MW | 3% |
| Battery storage | 10 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formosa Utility Venture Ltd | Formosa Plastics Corp | Natural gas | 933 MW | 1987 |
| CFB Power Plant | Formosa Plastics Corp | Natural gas | 310 MW | 2012 |
| Tres Bahias | Tres Bahias Solar Power, LLC | Solar | 196 MW | 2024 |
| Union Carbide Seadrift Cogen | Union Carbide Corp-Seadrift | Natural gas | 168 MW | 1964 |
| Calhoun Port Comfort | Peaker Power, LLC | Natural gas | 121 MW | 2017 |
| BP Chemicals Green Lake Plant | INEOS Nitriles Greenlake | Other technologies | 39 MW | 1989 |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Comfort Operations | Natural gas | 63 MW | 2019 |
The Calhoun County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,054 | $86,421 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 3,146 | $73,490 | 4.55 |
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 Calhoun County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Calhoun County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Calhoun County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Calhoun County, Matagorda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County | 19,599 | ▲ 0.6% | 1,785 MW | — | — | — |
| Aransas County | 26,146 | ▲ 11.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson County | 15,393 | ▼ 11.5% | 221 MW | 508 MW | — | — |
| Matagorda County | 36,463 | ▲ 6.6% | 3,134 MW | 1,125 MW | — | — |
| Refugio County | 6,657 | ▼ 8.0% | 220 MW | 394 MW | — | — |
| Victoria County | 92,656 | ▼ 5.2% | 1,168 MW | 232 MW | 1 | — |
More of Texas
Calhoun County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Calhoun County, Texas?
3 utilities have service territory in Calhoun County in the EIA-861 2024 report: AEP Texas Central Company, Victoria Electric Coop, Inc, Jackson Electric Coop, Inc - (TX).
What county is Port Lavaca, TX in?
Port Lavaca is in Calhoun County, Texas. About 11,060 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Calhoun County?
8 operating plants with 1,785 MW of capacity. The largest is Formosa Utility Venture Ltd (933 MW, natural gas).
Are there data centers in Calhoun County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Calhoun County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Matagorda County.
Is Calhoun County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,054 jobs in 2025 against 12,981 in 2019 (+0.6%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 3,278 to 3,146.
Does Calhoun County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Calhoun County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.