Donley County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Clarendon
Donley County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Donley County is home to Clarendon. Next door, Carson County has 16,147 MW of planned generation. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 3.4% in 2019. Its power plants have 174 MW of capacity, 100% of it wind. Southwestern Public Service Co is the largest utility serving Donley County, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 13.35¢/kWh in 2024, above the 12.81¢ median for Texas utilities.
Cities and towns in Donley County
Donley County is home to Clarendon.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Lelia Lake.
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 Donley County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 3,276 | 3,213 | ▼ 1.9% | 215th of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 890 | 899 | ▲ 1.0% | 152nd of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $31,965 | $43,371 | ▲ 35.7% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.4% | 5.0% | ▲ 1.6pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 899 jobs in 2025, up 1.0% from 2019. 3,213 people live here, down 1.9% since 2020.
Who powers Donley County
Utilities with service territory in Donley County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Public Service Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 222,146 | 13.35¢ | 25% |
| Southwestern Electric Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 156,271 | 12.03¢ | 30% |
| Greenbelt Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,912 | 18.00¢ | 11% |
| Lighthouse Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 3,878 | 14.59¢ | 72% |
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 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 174 MW | 100% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Fork Wind Project, LLC | Southern Power Co | Wind | 174 MW | 2016 |
The Donley County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 899 | $43,371 | 1.00 |
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 Donley County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Donley County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Donley County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Donley County, Carson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donley County | 3,213 | ▲ 1.0% | 174 MW | — | — | — |
| Armstrong County | 1,843 | ▲ 85.1% | 266 MW | 266 MW | 1 | — |
| Briscoe County | 1,474 | ▲ 7.2% | 350 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Carson County | 5,805 | ▲ 40.5% | 1,212 MW | 16,147 MW | — | — |
| Collingsworth County | 2,487 | ▼ 7.1% | — | — | — | — |
| Gray County | 20,919 | ▼ 1.4% | — | 500 MW | 1 | — |
| Hall County | 2,737 | ▼ 7.1% | — | — | 1 | — |
| Wheeler County | 4,773 | ▼ 14.8% | — | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Donley County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Donley County, Texas?
4 utilities have service territory in Donley County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Southwestern Public Service Co, Southwestern Electric Power Co, Greenbelt Electric Coop, Inc, Lighthouse Electric Coop, Inc. The largest, Southwestern Public Service Co, charged residential customers 13.35¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Donley County?
1 operating plant with 174 MW of capacity. The largest is Salt Fork Wind Project, LLC (174 MW, wind).
Are there data centers in Donley County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Donley County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Carson County.
Is Donley County adding jobs?
Employers counted 899 jobs in 2025 against 890 in 2019 (+1.0%, BLS QCEW).
Does Donley County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Donley County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.