Denton County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Denton, Lewisville and Frisco
Denton County is one of the places the data center build-out is physically happening. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Denton County. Denton County is home to Denton, Lewisville, part of Frisco (96,202 of its 236,955 residents) and most of Carrollton (83,033 of its 134,562 residents). Employers here counted 320,064 jobs in 2025, up 22.8% from 2019. 200 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Oakley BESS LLC (battery storage). Construction employs 20,144, up 23.5% since 2019.
Cities and towns in Denton County
Denton County is home to Denton, Lewisville, part of Frisco (96,202 of its 236,955 residents) and most of Carrollton (83,033 of its 134,562 residents).
And 16 smaller places.
- Lewisville also extends into Dallas County.
- Frisco also extends into Collin County.
- Carrollton also extends into Dallas County.
- Dallas also extends into Dallas County, Collin County.
- Fort Worth also extends into Tarrant County.
- Trophy Club also extends into Tarrant County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lantana, Paloma Creek, Paloma Creek South, Savannah.
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 Denton County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 914,517 | 1,069,346 | ▲ 16.9% | 7th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 260,697 | 320,064 | ▲ 22.8% | 30th of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $51,064 | $67,956 | ▲ 33.1% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 16,312 | 20,144 | ▲ 23.5% | 64th of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,099 | 1,424 | ▲ 29.6% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 505 | 827 | ▲ 63.8% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,257 | 860 | ▼ 31.6% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.0% | 4.2% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 750 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 14 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 200 MW | 18% of today's fleet | 113th of 149 by size |
Electrical contractors employ 1,424, up 29.6% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $70,500 a year. 750 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 4.2% in August 2026, against 3.0% in 2019. Its power plants have 1,110 MW of capacity, 47% of it solar. 1,069,346 people live here, up 16.9% since 2020, 7th of 254 Texas counties by population. 14 MW has retired here since 2019, including DFW Gas Recovery (other technologies, 12 MW, 2022). Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Denton County, one of 8 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers.
Who powers Denton County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +736 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Denton 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 | — | — |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (TX) | Cooperative | Bundled | 118,075 | 12.65¢ | 35% |
| City of Denton - (TX) | Municipal | Bundled | 58,941 | 12.81¢ | 48% |
| Wise Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 20,137 | 15.56¢ | 53% |
| Cooke County Elec Coop Assn | Cooperative | Bundled | 15,886 | 14.01¢ | 32% |
| City of Sanger - (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 11
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 524 MW | 47% |
| Natural gas | 353 MW | 32% |
| Battery storage | 225 MW | 20% |
| Other technologies | 3 MW | 0% |
| Hydro | 3 MW | 0% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 0% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble Solar | Geronimo Power | Solar | 400 MW | 2022 |
| Porter Solar, LLC (TX) | Porter Solar, LLC | Solar | 245 MW | 2024 |
| Denton Energy Center | City of Denton - (TX) | Natural gas | 226 MW | 2018 |
| Spencer | City of Garland - (TX) | Natural gas | 126 MW | 1966 |
| TX10 Hummingbird Storage | Key Capture Energy | Battery storage | 100 MW | 2024 |
| Farmers Branch Renewable Energy Facility | WM Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 3 MW | 2011 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley BESS | Batteries | 200 MW | Planned, approvals not started | 2030 | Oakley BESS LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Gas Recovery | Other technologies | 12 MW | 2022 |
| Denton Power LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2020 |
The Denton County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 320,064 | $67,956 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 20,144 | $86,466 | 1.19 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,424 | $70,500 | 0.62 |
| Power and communication line construction | 1,387 | $105,437 | 2.68 |
| Electric utilities | 827 | $108,046 | 0.95 |
| Data processing and hosting | 860 | $179,129 | 0.86 |
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 Denton County
9 data centers in Denton County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map: see them by city and operator.
Denton County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Denton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton County | 1,069,346 | ▲ 22.8% | 1,110 MW | 200 MW | 9 | — |
| Collin County | 1,297,179 | ▲ 30.5% | 590 MW | 400 MW | 30 | — |
| Cooke County | 44,461 | ▲ 9.7% | 638 MW | — | — | — |
| Dallas County | 2,661,397 | ▲ 4.9% | 2,070 MW | 12 MW | 90 | — |
| Grayson County | 153,613 | ▲ 11.4% | 929 MW | — | — | — |
| Tarrant County | 2,248,466 | ▲ 10.4% | 1,484 MW | — | 17 | — |
| Wise County | 83,778 | ▲ 5.5% | 2,237 MW | 403 MW | — | — |
More of Texas
Denton County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Denton County, Texas?
8 utilities have service territory in Denton County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Denton County Elec Coop, Inc, Texas-New Mexico Power Co, Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (TX).
What county is Denton, TX in?
Denton is in Denton County, Texas. About 169,431 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Lewisville, TX in?
Lewisville is in Denton County, Texas. About 137,554 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
Is Frisco in Denton County?
Partly. 96,202 of Frisco's 236,955 residents (41%) live in Denton County; most of the city is in Collin County.
What power plants are in Denton County?
11 operating plants with 1,110 MW of capacity. The largest is Noble Solar (400 MW, solar).
How much new power is planned in Denton County?
200 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 0 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Oakley BESS LLC.
Are there data centers in Denton County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 9 data centers in Denton County.
Is Denton County adding jobs?
Employers counted 320,064 jobs in 2025 against 260,697 in 2019 (+22.8%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 16,312 to 20,144.
Does Denton County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Denton County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.