Collin County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Plano, McKinney and Frisco
The data center boom is not abstract in Collin County: it is on the ground here. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 30 data centers in Collin County, 7% of Texas's total. Employers here counted 562,572 jobs in 2025, up 30.5% from 2019. Collin County is home to Plano, McKinney, most of Frisco (140,753 of its 236,955 residents) and Allen. Construction employs 25,573, up 37.5% since 2019. 400 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Mallard Energy Storage, LLC (battery storage). 400 MW of it is already under construction or built.
Cities and towns in Collin County
Collin County is home to Plano, McKinney, most of Frisco (140,753 of its 236,955 residents) and Allen.
And 5 smaller places.
- Plano also extends into Denton County.
- Frisco also extends into Denton County.
- Wylie also extends into Rockwall County, Dallas County.
- Celina also extends into Denton County.
- Dallas also extends into Dallas County, Denton County.
- Richardson also extends into Dallas County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Seis Lagos, Westminster.
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 Collin County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 1,075,512 | 1,297,179 | ▲ 20.6% | 6th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 430,949 | 562,572 | ▲ 30.5% | 20th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $68,366 | $91,910 | ▲ 34.4% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 18,592 | 25,573 | ▲ 37.5% | 49th of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,171 | 2,440 | ▲ 12.4% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,137 | 1,537 | ▲ 35.2% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 369 | 235 | ▼ 36.3% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,176 | 6,103 | ▲ 17.9% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.4% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 155 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 4 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 400 MW | 68% of today's fleet | 69th of 149 by size |
1,297,179 people live here, up 20.6% since 2020, 6th of 254 Texas counties by population. Unemployment was 4.4% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019. Electrical contractors employ 2,440, up 12.4% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $84,995 a year. 4 MW has retired here since 2019, including University of Texas at Dallas (natural gas, 4 MW, 2019). 155 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Its power plants have 590 MW of capacity, 74% of it natural gas. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Collin County, one of 7 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.
Who powers Collin County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +151 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Collin 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 | — | — |
| Denton County Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 298,734 | 13.77¢ | 10% |
| Texas-New Mexico Power Co | — | Delivery only (retail choice) | 233,056 | — | — |
| Grayson-Collin Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 90,464 | 16.40¢ | 20% |
| Farmers Electric Coop, Inc - (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 84,006 | 11.51¢ | 15% |
| Fannin County Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,712 | 15.65¢ | 26% |
| City of Farmersville - (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 13
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 439 MW | 74% |
| Battery storage | 140 MW | 24% |
| Solar | 8 MW | 1% |
| Petroleum | 4 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Olinger | City of Garland - (TX) | Natural gas | 428 MW | 1967 |
| Wigeon Whistle Battery Storage Plant | Wigeon Whistle BESS LLC | Battery storage | 120 MW | 2024 |
| Farmersville (TX) | HEN Infrastructure, L.L.C. | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2024 |
| Farmersville West | SBESS TX7 LLC | Battery storage | 10 MW | 2025 |
| Toyota HQ Plan | MN8 Energy LLC | Solar | 8 MW | 2017 |
| OTHERChildrensPlano | Generate ER-NG, LLC | Natural gas | 6 MW | 2025 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallard Energy Storage | Batteries | 250 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2026 | Mallard Energy Storage, LLC |
| Boxcar Energy Storage | Batteries | 150 MW | Under construction (>50%) | 2027 | Boxcar Energy Storage, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Dallas | Natural gas | 4 MW | 2019 |
The Collin County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 562,572 | $91,910 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 25,573 | $95,153 | 0.86 |
| Electrical contractors | 2,440 | $84,995 | 0.60 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,537 | $104,752 | 1.69 |
| Electric utilities | 235 | $177,872 | 0.15 |
| Data processing and hosting | 6,103 | $129,408 | 3.49 |
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 Collin County
30 data centers in Collin County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Collin County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Collin County, Dallas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collin County | 1,297,179 | ▲ 30.5% | 590 MW | 400 MW | 30 | — |
| Dallas County | 2,661,397 | ▲ 4.9% | 2,070 MW | 12 MW | 90 | — |
| Denton County | 1,069,346 | ▲ 22.8% | 1,110 MW | 200 MW | 9 | — |
| Fannin County | 39,265 | ▲ 5.8% | 565 MW | 194 MW | — | — |
| Grayson County | 153,613 | ▲ 11.4% | 929 MW | — | — | — |
| Hunt County | 123,336 | ▲ 18.2% | 372 MW | 176 MW | — | — |
| Rockwall County | 140,738 | ▲ 34.2% | 125 MW | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Collin County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Collin County, Texas?
7 utilities have service territory in Collin County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Denton County Elec Coop, Inc, Texas-New Mexico Power Co, Grayson-Collin Elec Coop, Inc.
What county is Plano, TX in?
Plano is in Collin County, Texas. About 287,323 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is McKinney, TX in?
McKinney is in Collin County, Texas. About 236,001 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Frisco, TX in?
Most of Frisco is in Collin County: 140,753 of its 236,955 residents, or 59%. The rest of the city lies in Denton County.
What power plants are in Collin County?
13 operating plants with 590 MW of capacity. The largest is Ray Olinger (428 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Collin County?
400 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 400 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Mallard Energy Storage, LLC.
Are there data centers in Collin County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 30 data centers in Collin County.
Is Collin County adding jobs?
Employers counted 562,572 jobs in 2025 against 430,949 in 2019 (+30.5%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 18,592 to 25,573.
Does Collin County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Collin County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.