Ector County, Texas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Odessa
Ector County hosts some of the generating capacity Texas runs on. Ector County is home to most of Odessa (118,390 of its 122,707 residents). 344 MW of new generation is planned here across 4 units, led by Origis Energy USA, Inc (solar). 344 MW of it is already under construction or built. Its power plants have 2,934 MW of capacity, 70% of it natural gas. Construction employs 6,934, down 12.3% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Next door, Ward County has 3 data centers and 2,335 MW of planned generation.
Cities and towns in Ector County
Ector County is home to most of Odessa (118,390 of its 122,707 residents).
- Odessa also extends into Midland County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Gardendale, West Odessa.
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 Ector County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 165,491 | 173,801 | ▲ 5.0% | 32nd of 254 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 81,031 | 80,449 | ▼ 0.7% | 171st of 254 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $64,472 | $75,763 | ▲ 17.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7,909 | 6,934 | ▼ 12.3% | 142nd of 155 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 864 | 1,101 | ▲ 27.4% | — |
| Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 190 | 112 | ▼ 41.1% | — |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 130 | 281 | ▲ 116.2% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 2.8% | 4.0% | ▲ 1.2pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 656 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 344 MW | 12% of today's fleet | 76th of 149 by size |
Electrical contractors employ 1,101, up 27.4% since 2019 against up 24.0% statewide, at an average $99,844 a year. 656 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 2.8% in 2019. Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC is the largest utility serving Ector County, one of 3 with territory here. It delivers power that customers buy from competing retail providers. Employers here counted 80,449 jobs in 2025, down 0.7% from 2019. 173,801 people live here, up 5.0% since 2020.
Who powers Ector County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +656 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Ector 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 | — | — |
| Southwestern Public Service Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 222,146 | 13.35¢ | 25% |
| City of Goldsmith - (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 18
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2,063 MW | 70% |
| Solar | 615 MW | 21% |
| Wind | 152 MW | 5% |
| Battery storage | 76 MW | 3% |
| Petroleum | 27 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa-Ector Power Plant | LaFrontera Holdings LLC | Natural gas | 1,153 MW | 2001 |
| Quail Run Energy Center | Quail Run Energy Partners, LP | Natural gas | 550 MW | 2002 |
| Ector County Energy Center | Ector County Generation, LLC | Natural gas | 359 MW | 2015 |
| Notrees Windpower Hybrid | Deriva Energy | Wind | 188 MW | 2009 |
| Swift Air Solar II | Origis Energy USA, Inc | Solar | 174 MW | 2025 |
| Oberon IA | Oberon Solar IA | Solar | 150 MW | 2020 |
Planned generation 4
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockhound A | Solar Photovoltaic | 245 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Origis Energy USA, Inc |
| Rockhound C | Solar Photovoltaic | 61 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Origis Energy USA, Inc |
| Rockhound D | Solar Photovoltaic | 28 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Origis Energy USA, Inc |
| Apple BESS | Batteries | 10 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Apple Infra, LLC |
The Ector County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 80,449 | $75,763 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 6,934 | $93,050 | 1.63 |
| Electrical contractors | 1,101 | $99,844 | 1.90 |
| Power and communication line construction | 112 | $82,136 | 0.86 |
| Electric utilities | 281 | $170,555 | 1.29 |
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 Ector County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Ector County. Texas has 25 local measures on record statewide.
Ector County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Ector County, Ward 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ector County | 173,801 | ▼ 0.7% | 2,934 MW | 344 MW | — | — |
| Andrews County | 18,914 | ▼ 2.6% | 1,298 MW | 223 MW | — | — |
| Crane County | 4,554 | ▲ 18.0% | 503 MW | 200 MW | — | — |
| Midland County | 187,855 | ▲ 10.9% | 140 MW | 22 MW | 1 | — |
| Upton County | 3,131 | ▲ 132.0% | 1,841 MW | 175 MW | 1 | — |
| Ward County | 11,125 | ▲ 2.1% | 598 MW | 2,335 MW | 3 | — |
| Winkler County | 7,540 | ▲ 18.2% | 250 MW | — | — | — |
More of Texas
Ector County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Ector County, Texas?
3 utilities have service territory in Ector County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, Southwestern Public Service Co, City of Goldsmith - (TX).
What county is Odessa, TX in?
Most of Odessa is in Ector County: 118,390 of its 122,707 residents, or 96%. The rest of the city lies in Midland County.
What power plants are in Ector County?
18 operating plants with 2,934 MW of capacity. The largest is Odessa-Ector Power Plant (1,153 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Ector County?
344 MW across 4 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 344 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Origis Energy USA, Inc.
Are there data centers in Ector County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Ector County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Ward County.
Is Ector County adding jobs?
Employers counted 80,449 jobs in 2025 against 81,031 in 2019 (-0.7%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 7,909 to 6,934.
Does Ector County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Ector County. Texas has 25 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.